A Real Vacation
by imloopy
Summary: Agent Booth is in hospital. Bones offers to care for Parker temporarily. But will it turn out to be the real vacation she was imagining? How close do you feel to someone by living their life? And will Parker ever learn to ride his bike?
1. Chapter 1 choose your destination

_I naturally multitask! This story came to me when Brennan complained she wanted a story mostly to herself._

_I don't own anything to do with bones, other than the ones in my body, and I'm making nothing out of this story except the experience it brings me, which is in every sense priceless._

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_**The first step in any vacation is planning where you are going to. **_

**Wednesday morning **

Brennan was aware that Deputy Director Cullen was at the Jeffersonian Institute for a meeting with her boss, Dr Goodman, so she was only vaguely surprised at first to look up and see him standing in front of her desk.

"I'm sorry," she said, slightly flustered. "I didn't notice you come in – I must have been concentrating."

He smiled slightly. "Dr Brennan, I'm sorry to disturb you, but I thought you'd like to know – Booth has been involved in a slight incident."

Her fluster turned to alarm. "What happened?"

"He and a team of agents were raiding a suspect's house and apparently it turned nasty. He's been shot. Only a slight wound, nothing serious," he added hurriedly. "But they've taken him to the hospital. I just got word, and I'm headed there now. Dr Goodman suggested you might like to come with me."

"Oh, yes, of course." Brennan reached for her coat, her heart racing. Nothing serious. But she had seen cases where an injury that should have been slight had resulted in something out of proportion to the original injury. She told herself to stop reacting emotionally, to deal with one thing at a time. Right now, Booth was slightly injured, and she must deal with that. If it turned out more serious – well, there would be plenty of time to panic then.

"What's up, sweetie?" Angela called after her as she strode across the floor of the lab after Cullen.

"Booth's been injured. It's not serious, but I'm – I'm just going to check he's okay."

Angela frowned in concern. "Tell him we hope he's better soon," she ordered. "And let us know how he is."

Brennan nodded, and then concentrated on keeping up with the long strides of the deputy director.

They reached the hospital in a few minutes – one of the advantages of travelling in an FBI car with the flashing lights, Brennan reflected – and met the ambulance arriving at the ER entrance. Brennan watched in shock as Booth was lifted out of the back of the ambulance on a gurney and wheeled into the hospital. He was wearing a bullet-proof vest over shirtsleeves, and his left shoulder was soaked in blood, with a makeshift dressing pressed over it. He had an oxygen mask over his face, but he pulled it down weakly as he saw her.

She stepped over to him and stared down at him, struggling for words. He tried to smile. "Bones, could you do something for me?" he asked.

She nodded and bent down so she could hear better. "Of course, what is it?"

"My – my phone. Could you call Rebecca? I'm supposed to have Parker tonight. She's going to kill me."

"Looks like someone else already tried," she commented dryly.

He grimaced. "It's okay. It probably looks a lot worse than it is. But – but I don't see myself getting out of here tonight. Please, ring Rebecca and tell her. Tell her I'm sorry, I know how much this time meant to her."

He shifted on the gurney and winced. "She's gonna think I got myself shot on purpose," he complained.

"Don't be silly, I'm sure she'll understand," Brennan soothed him, aware that the medical staff around her were fretting at the delay in the corridor.

"No, she won't – but I can't – I can't do anything about it." He relaxed back onto the gurney, the pain showing in his face.

"Where's your phone?" Brennan asked.

A man in an FBI jacket, who had appeared from the ambulance, held a denim jacket out to her. "All his stuff is in the pockets," he explained.

"We must go," said the orderly at Booth's head. "He's losing blood. We must get him seen to."

Brennan nodded and stood back. Booth's jacket felt heavy in her hand. When she shook it she heard the jangle of keys, and a quick search through the pockets revealed his phone. "Outside, please," said a passing nurse, seeing the phone in her hand. Brennan took a last look at Booth, who was being wheeled at speed away from her along the corridor, then went outside to use his phone.

A quick search of his phone found the speed dial button for Rebecca. She hit the button and waited. After just one ring the phone was picked up. She heard nothing but breathing for a few seconds, then a small voice said, "Hello?"

"Parker," she sighed in relief. For a moment she had been scared that the number was wrong, that she would not be able to contact Rebecca.

"Yes."

"Is your mommy there?"

"Yes." She waited, but he said nothing else. She could still hear him breathing.

"Oh. Well, could you go and get her for me?"

"Okay." Brennan heard the clatter of the receiver being placed on a hard surface, then the voice moved further away, calling, "Mommy!"

It was only a couple more minutes before the phone was picked up again. This time a woman's voice spoke. "Hello, can I help you?"

"Oh, hello, yes, is that Rebecca?" Brennan realised she didn't even know Rebecca's last name.

"Yes it is. I'm sorry, I didn't hear the phone ring. Parker must have picked it up as soon as it started. I'm afraid he loves answering the phone at the moment, but his phone manners aren't quite all they should be yet. I hope he didn't cause any trouble."

"Not at all," Brennan assured her. "I'm Dr Temperance Brennan. I work with Booth."

She could sense the change in Rebecca's attitude. "What's it about?"

"He tells me he's supposed to have Parker this evening."

"I'm dropping him off tonight and he's staying with his dad until Monday night. Why?" Her voice rose. "Don't tell me he's trying to get out of it! He promised faithfully he wouldn't let me down. If he mucks us about this time, that's it. He's not seeing him again. He knows this is important!"

Brennan could sense the panic in Rebecca's voice. Oh hell. She could tell the other woman meant it; Booth had mentioned before that Rebecca resented him spending time with their child. This could be the excuse for her to cut off contact altogether. She thought fast.

"No, it's okay," she replied. "He's still having him. He's just – he's been delayed. He asked if I could look after Parker for him until he gets back."

"Oh." Rebecca still sounded suspicious. Did she think that Booth hadn't okayed this? Well, to be accurate, he hadn't, but she was sure he would rather she cared for Parker overnight than disappoint him and upset Rebecca. How could she convince her?

"He said the password to let you know it's genuine was 'pokemon'," Brennan added, thanking the fates that when they'd been working to rescue young Donovan Decker she'd asked Booth about whether he had a password for his own son.

"Oh. Okay then."

Had she got away with it? "I was just ringing to check what time he was coming. You are dropping him off, aren't you?"

"Yes. The plan was to drop him off at his dad's place at around seven. Is that still okay?" Rebecca definitely sounded happier now.

Brennan thought of the keys in the jacket pocket. She guessed that one must be for Booth's apartment. "Yes, that's fine," she agreed. "I'll see you there."

She hung up and put the phone back in Booth's pocket, trembling slightly. What the hell had she let herself in for? At least it was something to distract herself from worrying about Booth.

Heading back into the hospital, she found Cullen talking to the man in the FBI jacket. Cullen nodded when he saw her. "They've just taken him in for surgery," he told her. "They need to remove the bullet. But it should be straightforward, no serious damage done. It's mainly a flesh wound."

Brennan thought of the muscle damage, of the ligaments that could be torn by a bullet forcing its way between the fibres. She thought of the damage a bullet could do if it made contact with bone. She thought about the possible organ damage caused by a more direct hit. "Good," she managed.

It was just over an hour later that a doctor approached her and the deputy director. "All went well," he said cheerfully. "Agent Booth is in recovery. We'll get him settled in a room, then you can see him."

Until then, Brennan hadn't realised that she had been breathing shallowly. Now she took in a deep breath and filled her lungs. She turned to Cullen, who smiled sympathetically at her. "I told you he'd be fine," he pronounced.

A nurse fetched them shortly thereafter. Cullen entered the room first, and had a short conversation with Booth. Then he came out. "He wants to speak to you," he said.

Brennan entered the room nervously. Booth was lying back on the pillows, looking pale. The oxygen mask had been replaced by cannulae, and the makeshift dressing by a proper, cleaner one. His left arm was strapped across his chest, to immobilise his shoulder. An intravenous drip went in the back of his right hand. Chest sensors led to a monitor that bleeped and flashed rhythmically next to the bed.

She sat down on the chair next to him, and gently stroked the back of his hand, avoiding the needle. He tried to smile, but was very drowsy. "Did you call Rebecca?" he asked.

"Yes, I did, don't worry," she reassured him.

"Was she very mad?"

"No." Brennan considered for a moment keeping quiet about what she had agreed to, but then thought better of it. "I told her I'd look after him until you came out of hospital."

"You did?" He half sat up in surprise, then sank down again weakly.

"Yes." Well, that was almost accurate, she told herself. She hadn't actually mentioned the hospital, and she'd skimmed over the part where she indicated it would only be for a couple of hours, but basically – yes, she supposed she had agreed to look after Parker until Booth was home.

"Are you sure you can handle it?"

"Of course. It will be like a mini vacation for me, playing with Parker instead of working. I should get some writing done as well." She was starting to feel more comfortable about it herself. The chance for a break from work appealed; she rarely got to sit down and enjoy free time. Maybe it was time she learnt to relax.

"Thanks, Bones." He closed his eyes, and she thought for a moment that he'd drifted off to sleep. Just as she was about to leave, he moved his hand and took hold of hers. "Bones – you'll need my car."

"Why?"

"Parker's seat. In the back. It's parked at the bureau."

She thought of the child seat. "Oh, of course. Booth – is it okay if I look after him at your place?"

"Yeah. Make yourself at home." He was drifting off again. A nurse came in to look at the monitors around him, and Brennan looked up in alarm.

The nurse shook her head. "He's fine," she reassured her. "The anaesthetic is making him a little sleepy still, that's all. It's quite normal."

Brennan turned her attention back to Booth, who was breathing steadily. She gently slipped her hand out from his and stood up. His eyes flickered open. "Bones?"

"What?"

He smiled faintly. "Tell Parker hi for me. And have fun." Then he fell asleep.

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_Please let me know how you enjoy this one. You know where the review button is, and your words might spur me on to update faster. I promise to keep up with the Boy on the Building Site as well, honestly!_  



	2. Chapter 2 planning and preparation

_Thanks for all the reviews!

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_**_  
A vacation goes better with a little forward planning and preparation..._**

**Wednesday afternoon**

When Brennan left Booth's room she found Cullen was still waiting outside. "All right?" he said cheerfully. "Do you want a lift anywhere?"

"Could you take me to the Bureau?" Brennan asked him. "I need to pick up Booth's car."

He nodded. "No problem." They walked together back to the parking lot. "I told you he would be fine," he said.

"Do you know how long he'll be in here?" Brennan thought to ask.

"I expect they'll discharge him tomorrow or the next day," Cullen said. "He'll be off for a couple of weeks, then back to his usual self."

"Oh." Brennan had been counting on only having responsibility for Parker overnight. What if Booth had to stay in hospital for the weekend? What would she do then?

She was still carrying Booth's jacket. Now she slipped it over her shoulders. It felt warm and comfortable. She put her hands in the pockets and fished out a bunch of keys. Not as many as her own bunch; she supposed there was one for his apartment and one for his car. She wasn't sure what the other two were for. Oh well, if it turned out to be important she could always experiment.

When Cullen dropped her off she made her way to Booth's black SUV. It was the only car in the area that had a child seat in the back of it. Brennan stood and stared at it. What the hell was she going to do with a small child? Was it too late to back out? She thought of Booth, stuck in hospital. She thought of Rebecca's reaction when she thought Booth wasn't able to have Parker. And she thought of the small boy, who needed a dad as well as a mum. Yes. It was far too late to back out.

She started the engine and drove carefully to the Jeffersonian. She had travelled in Booth's car many times, but this was the first time she had had a chance to drive it. It handled well, but was much bigger than her car. She felt the power under the hood, and had to fight the temptation to drive faster than she usually did.

When she arrived back in the lab the others all rushed over. "How is he?" Angela demanded. Brennan smiled at them.

"Could someone get me a coffee please?" she asked, slipping the jacket off and heading for her office. The others followed her, Zack holding a mug of coffee. He handed it to her, and she sank onto the couch with a sigh, laying the jacket down beside her. "Booth will be fine," she announced. She could see the look of relief on the faces of her colleagues. "He took a bullet in the left shoulder, and needed surgery to remove it, but it only hit flesh. He should be out in a couple of days."

"That's good news," commented Hodgins. Zack still wore a frown. "Even a minor bullet wound can cause major problems," he said. "For example…"

"All right, Zack, I don't think Brennan wants to hear all that right now," Hodgins snapped at him. "Come on, we've got work to do." He almost dragged his friend out of the room, looking back over his shoulder apologetically.

Angela looked at Brennan. "You look as though there's more to the story," she commented.

Brennan nodded and told Angela how she'd somehow ended up offering to look after Parker while Booth was in hospital. Angela seemed amused by the idea. "But Bren, you have no idea how to take care of a child," she pointed out.

"I know, but it can't be that hard. We'll manage," Brennan said stoutly. "I just need to see Goodman, persuade him to let me have the day off tomorrow."

"And just why would you need a day off?" Brennan jumped at the familiar tones coming from her office doorway. She hastily explained to Dr Goodman about needing to look after Parker.

"Have you forgotten about the meeting with the representatives from Guatemala?" he asked with a frown.

Damn. She had forgotten. "What time was it? Eleven?" she asked. "I can always come in just for that."

"And what will you do with the child?"

Angela came to the rescue. "I can look after him while Brennan's in the meeting," she assured him. "He'll be no trouble, I promise."

Dr Goodman still did not look convinced, but Brennan prayed that with children of his own he would be sympathetic to her plight. Finally he nodded. "Very well," he said. "But both of you will be responsible for making sure the child causes no problems. Then, Dr Brennan, I suppose you had better stay with the boy until Booth is able to take over."

"Thank you, Dr Goodman," she smiled. "He should back tomorrow, but I'll enjoy the short break."

She finished up what she could, and packed up some work to do at home – at Booth's home, she reminded herself. She left at around five thirty, and called into her apartment first to pack an overnight bag. Then she drove to Booth's place.

It felt very strange, to park in Booth's usual place and let herself into his apartment. She was wearing his jacket again, although it made her a trifle too warm, and his keys made a satisfying bundle in her hand.

She stood in the middle of his apartment, looking round. It was reasonably tidy, although a stack of papers strewn across the middle of the coffee table bore testament to a possibly hasty departure. She tidied the papers, then went to the kitchen and checked through the cupboards. Not much food; she supposed Booth had intended to go shopping. She had no idea whether Parker would expect any meals that evening. Maybe he'd have already eaten. She shrugged; if he hadn't, he would have to share her meal. There was enough for her to knock up something with pasta. Kids ate pasta, didn't they?

She wandered through the rest of the apartment. The bathroom, full of items like shaving foam, a plastic yellow duck balanced between the taps (Booth's or Parker's?) and a distinct absence of the sort of toiletries she was used to. Parker's bedroom, neat and tidy now. The Sesame Street duvet was pulled up neatly to the pillow and smoothed down; the toys neatly tidied away in a giant toy box, or arranged on the shelf next to the window.

Then she reached Booth's room. The bedclothes had been hastily pulled up; the pillow still remained crumpled from its last use. A white shirt lay discarded on the bed. The wardrobe door stood open, showing hangers full of suits and shirts, and a couple of pairs of shoes and sneakers standing in the bottom. One of the drawers in the dresser was partly closed, the denim of a pair of jeans wedged in the gap and preventing it from shutting fully. The bedside table contained a digital radio alarm, steadily displaying 6:10pm, and next to it stood a white phone and a bedside lamp. She looked around the plain cream walls, and the brown woodwork, and tried to imagine Booth here. The room seemed to fit him somehow.

She went back out of the room and back to the lounge area. A large television and DVD player dominated the corner of the room. A music centre stood on a small unit under the picture window, while two armchairs and a small couch surrounded the coffee table. She eyed the couch, frowning. That looked comfortable to sit on, but she wasn't so sure she could sleep there all night. Oh well, maybe she could get away with using Booth's bed. After all, he wouldn't be around to even know, let alone object.

Feeling a cup of coffee was in order, Brennan made her way back to the kitchen and figured out where Booth kept his stuff. She was amused to find a Jeffersonian mug in the cupboard, and wondered idly whether he had bought it from the gift shop or lifted it from the small kitchen next to the lab. Ten minutes later she was sitting at the kitchen table with a mug of coffee by her right hand and her laptop in front of her. She became absorbed in the latest chapter of her novel, and was startled some time later when there was a knock at the door.

She jumped up, took a last mouthful of her nearly cold coffee, and hurried to the door. Standing there was a dark-haired woman she assumed was Rebecca, plus the small curly-haired child she had seen a few times with Booth.

"Hi Parker," she said to him, feeling almost shy. "And you must be Rebecca. I'm Temperance." She held out her hand, and Rebecca shook it.

"Pleased to meet you," she said. "When will Seeley be back?"

"Uh, I'm not…" began Brennan, but was rescued by Parker.

"Dr Bones!" he shouted, as he saw her. "Mommy, it's Dr Bones!" Brennan winced at the nickname. Where the hell had he learnt to call her that?"

"Oh, you're Bones!" exclaimed Rebecca. "Of course, I should have realised, I'm sorry."

Brennan smiled. "That silly nickname," she said, feeling embarrassed, but at the same time proud to think that even Rebecca had heard of her by that name.

Parker came through the door and disappeared through to his bedroom, where she heard him tipping toys onto the floor.

"I'm so grateful you could help out," said Rebecca. She stepped back slightly. "Here's his bike."

"Bike?" Brennan wondered what Rebecca was talking about. Then she caught a glimpse of a small two-wheeled bike with training wheels, standing just outside. It was designed in police colours, with a hooter on the front handlebars and a small carrier box on the back mudguard.

"Seeley promised Parker that he'd help him learn to ride without the training wheels this week," Rebecca explained. "Didn't he mention it?"

"Oh, uh, yes, uh – that's fine. I'm not sure where to put it though." Brennan looked around for inspiration.

"It will be fine just inside here, surely," Rebecca answered, pushing it through the doorway and stowing it just inside. "Parker has talked of nothing else all week. He's really excited."

"I'm sure he is." Brennan thought of the time she had learnt to ride a bike; of the bruises and torn knees that it had cost her. She smiled. "I'm sure they'll have fun."

"Okay. Well, here's his bag. Do tell Seeley to take good care of him," Rebecca said. "Parker? Come say goodbye, honey, Mommy's got to go now."

Parker came running back and gave his mother a hug and a kiss. Then he grasped Brennan's hand. "Will you play with my cars with me?" he asked. Brennan looked apologetically at Rebecca, who grinned back. "Enjoy yourselves," she said cheerfully and left, leaving Brennan to shut the door and look down helplessly at the young version of Booth who was eagerly tugging her towards his bedroom.

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_**A/N**: I didn't think up Dr Bones - the name is used by kind permission of **Tempecameron**, who used it in her story **Maternal Instinct** - if you haven't read that story I strongly recommend it._

_Please review and let me know what you think. Hopefully, you'll get at least one more part before I'm parted from my computer for a week (sob!)._


	3. Chapter 3 accommodation

_**When on vacation, it can be difficult at first to sleep in a strange bed.**_

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Wednesday Evening**

Brennan had only been her knees with Parker for a few minutes, surrounded by toys, when he asked after his Dad.

"Dr Bones, when is Daddy coming home?"

"Not for a while, Parker, sorry." She wondered how much she should tell him, how much he would understand.

His face fell. "I want Daddy!"

"We can go and see him tomorrow," she promised.

"I wanna go now!"

"Not now, Parker, it's getting late. Daddy's in hospital, he's not very well, and he'll be asleep, I expect."

"I want to go see him."

"I tell you what," Brennan said patiently. "If you go to bed now and go to sleep, it will be the morning very quickly, and then we can see your Daddy."

She helped a protesting Parker locate and change into a pair of fleecy red pajamas with penguins all over them. She wondered curiously whether they had been Booth's purchase or Rebecca's, and made up her mind to ask Booth next time she saw him. Parker climbed into bed, then out again.

"What's the matter?"

"Where's Baba?"

Brennan looked at him blankly. "Who or what is Baba?" she asked.

"Baba! I need Baba!"

Parker looked ready to cry. Brennan helplessly looked at his bag. "Is it a toy? Is it in there?"

Parker shook his head. "I can't find him."

"We'll ask Daddy in the morning."

Parker's bottom lip stuck out. As Brennan looked at him, she could see his resemblance to Booth, with the determined set of the jaw and a serious look in his eyes. She tucked him into bed and turned to leave.

He sat up. "What about my story? Daddy always reads me a story."

Brennan looked at the books on the bookshelf. "Which story do you want?"

"That one." Parker pointed to a book called Horrid Henry.

Brennan picked it up and flicked through it. "There are a few stories in here. Which one do you want?"

"The one where he goes to see the bones. That's Daddy's favourite."

Brennan located the story and read it. "No, you got it wrong," Parker cried out just as she thought he was falling asleep. "It doesn't say he knocked over the bones, it says he knocked into all the bones."

"That's what I said," Brennan said, confused.

"No, you got it wrong." Parker made her read again, correctly this time. Then he made her change her voice for the different characters. Horrid Henry had to sound tough, he told her, and Perfect Peter had to sound whiney. It took several attempts for Brennan to get the voices close enough for Parker to lay down again, satisfied.

Parker was now looking sleepy, so Brennan put the book back on the shelf and crept out of the room.

"Dr Bones!" She stuck her head back round the doorway. "Kiss!"

"Sorry." She went back to the bed and kissed him gently on the forehead. He put his arms up and gave her a cuddle and a kiss, before turning over and settling down.

Brennan went back to the kitchen and sat down at her laptop with a sigh of relief. She turned it on and read the words on the screen. "…_as she stared down the barrel of the gun she suddenly knew…_"

"Dr Bones."

Brennan jumped in her seat and turned round. Parker was standing in the doorway rubbing his eyes. "I can't get to sleep."

"Parker, you've only been in bed five minutes," she scolded him, pushing him gently back towards his bedroom. "If you stay in bed and lie quietly you'll soon get to sleep."

"I wanna see Daddy."

"I said we'd go tomorrow."

"As soon as we get up?"

"Well, after breakfast, yes, I promise."

Brennan wondered how Booth was, whether they would discharge him next day. She hoped so.

"Now, back to bed."

Reluctantly, Parker went.

Brennan turned her attention back to her novel. "…_as she stared…_"

"Dr Bones?"

She looked up, impatiently.

"Can I have a drink?"

An hour later, Brennan had read five stories, fetched three drinks and written two words of her novel. She finally sat down in front of the laptop with a deep sigh, read back what she had managed to write and deleted the two words again. Now that Parker had finally fallen asleep she intended to have a real writing session, maybe even finish the chapter and start the one she had been looking forward to since she started the new book. She tilted her head towards the screen and thought, then her fingers started flying as the words flowed.

It was nearly 2am when she eventually saved her work for the last time of the evening, closed the laptop and stood up, stretching and yawning. At least she had managed to write nearly to the end of the chapter, and she was reasonably pleased with what she had written. She took a last look round the room, then headed for the bathroom, peeking in at Parker on the way.

She readied herself for bed, peering into Booth's shaving mirror as she cleaned her teeth, and stared down at his bed trying to summon the courage to get into it. Feeling a yawn creep up on her unawares, she made herself pull back the covers and climb in. A few minutes later she was asleep.

It could not have been too much later that she woke up, startled. Her heartbeat sounded loudly in her ears as she sat up, trying to work out where she was and what had woken her. The noise sounded like crying. Parker! As the thought struck she jumped out of bed. It was cold in the bedroom, and she spied a dark blue bathrobe on the back of the door. Grabbing it, she wrapped it around herself as she padded down the hallway in bare feet to Parker's room.

The boy was sitting up in bed sobbing his heart out. Brennan sat down beside him and put her arms around him. He cuddled up to her and gradually his crying eased. "I want my Mummy, I want my Daddy," he whispered.

"Oh, Parker, I'm sorry, my sweet – we'll see Daddy tomorrow, I promise, and hopefully we'll bring him home." Brennan found herself gently rocking the child and soothing him.

He calmed down and snuggled into her bathrobe, which she wrapped round him as well, but would not settle enough for her to leave him.

"Parker, please," she begged. "I'm so tired, and you must be, too."

He looked up at her. "Dr Bones, can I sleep in your bed?"

Brennan thought longingly of climbing back into bed and snuggling down. She looked at the small boy on her lap looking hopefully back at her. How could she resist those big brown eyes?

"All right," she said reluctantly. After all, in most societies it was perfectly acceptable for children to share a bed with adults, she rationalised to herself. "But you must promise to go straight to sleep."

He nodded, and she carried him into her room – Booth's room. Already she was starting to feel as if she lived here. They both settled down in bed, and Brennan tried to sleep. She found herself staring at the ceiling for a while, feeling the tiny shifts in the body next to her as Parker wriggled around to get comfortable then fell asleep, twitching slightly as he did so. Eventually Brennan felt her eyes grow heavy and then she must have fallen asleep too.

**Thursday morning**

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP…

"What the hell...?" Brennan had not even realised she had been asleep until she was woken up by the piercing beep of Booth's alarm clock. She put a hand out from beneath the covers and frantically groped for a button, still more than half asleep. Mercifully, the noise ceased. Next to her, Parker shifted slightly, and she held her breath, but he muttered something, turned over and went back to sleep.

Brennan did the same, only to be woken again just a few minutes later. She swore out loud and opened her eyes to discover that it was light and that the clock was displaying 7.10am. It couldn't be morning already! She felt as though she had hardly slept at all. This time she managed to find the off button instead of the sleep button, and she curled up again hoping for a couple more hours of sleep, but Parker sat up.

"You said a naughty word," he said gleefully. "I'm telling Daddy."

Brennan managed a faint smile. "It was under extreme provocation," she assured him. "It's allowed under those circumstances."

He shook his head. "Daddy says you should never swear. Can we go and see him now?"

Brennan groaned. "How about a bit more sleep first?" she suggested.

Parker shook his head, his curls flying about his face. "You promised!" He stuck out his bottom jaw, and Brennan's heart melted.

"Let's have breakfast," she said, suddenly realising that she had been so busy with Parker the evening before that she hadn't actually gotten around to eating anything.

Parker jumped out of bed. "I want Fruity Pebbles," he yelled.

Brennan looked at him blankly. "I don't know what that means."

"It's breakfast, silly," he said, jumping up and down impatiently.

"Well you go and get dressed then, and I'll go and look in the cupboards."

He looked at her as if she was stupid. "I eat before I get dressed, you idiot."

"Hey," Brennan protested. "That's not nice."

He pouted. "My daddy says it. And my mummy says that I must always eat breakfast before I get dressed, otherwise I get milk all down my clean clothes."

"Oh." That makes sense I suppose." Brennan let him lead her to the kitchen. She put on Booth's bathrobe again. It wasn't so cold this morning, but somehow she felt a lot more comfortable wrapped in the towelling robe than wandering around Booth's apartment in just her nightdress.

She looked through the cupboards, but could not find anything that could either answer to the description of Fruity Pebbles or satisfy an impatient Parker. Eventually she turned to him in despair. "I think your Dad must have meant to go shopping before you came," she admitted.

The bottom lip started to tremble, and she could see Parker's eyes filling with tears.

"Okay, okay, don't cry, please," she begged him. "How about we have breakfast at McDonalds?"

Instantly his face lit up. "Yeah!"

"We'd better both get dressed then," Brennan suggested.

"But I always have breakfast before I get dressed," he complained. Brennan cursed his childish logic.

"But they won't let us into McDonalds with our pajamas on," she pointed out, "and they don't do cereal with milk for breakfast, either." She gave a small grin of triumph when he accepted her words and ran off to get dressed.

Half an hour later she was trying to figure out how to strap him into his car seat. Only the thought of what Booth would have to say stopped her from abandoning the task altogether. Eventually she thought to ask Parker, and he gleefully showed her which bit fitted into which part of the clasp. She ran inside for the files she had forgotten for the meeting later on, then they set off hungrily for the nearest fast food restaurant they could find.

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_Thanks again for all the reviews! More always welcome. And why are you all so sure that Brennan won't get a chance to do any writing? _

_Next update as soon as I can, but it might be up to a week, sorry! _


	4. Chapter 4 visiting friends

_Finally, I'm back! Lots planned, little written, but I'm making up for lost time :-)_

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**A vacation is a time for visiting old friends... **_

**Thursday Morning **

It was just after nine-thirty when Brennan and Parker arrived at the hospital. As Brennan held the small boy's hand and navigated the long corridors she wondered whether Booth would be sitting on his bed waiting for someone to collect him.

He wasn't. He was semi-reclined in bed, looking pale and tired. He gave them a weak smile as they entered the room.

"Parker! Hey, come here, Bub!" He held out his uninjured arm to welcome his son in a hug. Parker moved forward reluctantly, awed by the machines attached to his dad, but clambered on the bed happily enough to give him a cuddle. Brennan saw Booth wincing in pain and went to lift Parker off, but Booth held him close. "It's all right, Bones, just give us a minute, will you?" She stepped back and watched as the boy chattered happily.

"Daddy, we had 'Donald's for breakfast, and I slept in your bed, and are you coming home now?"

"I wish I could, Parker, but the doctors won't let me." Booth shifted position, looking uncomfortable.

"Judging by your appearance, that seems a perfectly reasonable conclusion to me." Brennan frowned at him.

Booth looked at Brennan properly for the first time since they had arrived. "There's a problem with my shoulder," he explained. "I don't know what it is exactly, they threw all sorts of medical mumbo-jumbo at me. But there was something about infection and bleeding and they might need to operate again."

"That doesn't sound too good. Have they said when?"

"They're checking me again in an hour." Booth turned his attention back to Parker, who was trying to get his attention. "Okay, Bub, hang on a minute, then you can tell me all about what you've been up to."

Brennan could see he was in pain, so she picked Parker up and sat him in the chair next to his dad, ignoring protests from both father and son. "Be gentle, Parker, or you'll hurt your dad's shoulder," she scolded gently. He pouted and wriggled on the chair, but stayed where he was put.

"Now, what's this about sleeping in my bed and having McDonald's for breakfast?" Booth asked.

Brennan flushed. "He wouldn't settle in his own bed, so he ended up in with me, I'm sorry," she said. "And your couch looked too uncomfortable to sleep on, so I took your bed. I hope you don't mind."

Booth shrugged as best he could with one shoulder. "Not to worry," he assured her. "He's done it to me sometimes. And I agree, that couch is not the best place to sleep." He gave her a rueful smile, and suddenly the last few hours seemed more worthwhile.

"Oh, and who is Baba?" Brennan remembered to ask. "He kept asking for Baba, but I didn't know what he meant."

Booth raised an eyebrow. "You couldn't find Baba and you got him to sleep at all? I'm impressed, Bones. Baba is a small yellow rabbit. He'll be in Parker's bag somewhere; no way would Rebecca send him without. Try checking inside his clothes, Parker has a habit of dressing him up."

Brennan nodded and made a mental note to search Parker's belongings thoroughly for a small yellow rabbit. "Oh, and the McDonald's was because we couldn't find anything in the house that he would eat," she explained, fighting back the tone of reproach she heard in her voice.

Booth flushed. "Sorry, I meant to go shopping." He thought for a moment. "You've got my wallet, haven't you? In my jacket pocket?"

Brennan nodded.

"Take some money out of it and get whatever you need. I'm really sorry, Bones, you must have had a tough time with him."

Brennan shook her head, refusing to admit just how tired she was, and just how frustrating she had found the past day or so. She stood watching as father and son talked for a few minutes, but Booth was looking more and more exhausted and soon Brennan put her hand on Parker's shoulders. "Come on," she said, trying to sound cheerful. "I think we need to let your dad have some rest. We'll come back later and see him when he's feeling better."

Booth protested, but seeing how ill he looked Brennan refused to give in to him. "Later, Booth, I promise," she reassured him, scooping a complaining Parker up in her arms. She felt horribly guilty as she took him away, feeling sure that Booth must be able to hear Parker whining and protesting all the way back down the corridor.

* * *

"I feel terrible, Angela," Brennan confessed half an hour later, as she sat on the couch in her office drinking coffee with her friend. Parker sat contentedly at her desk, drawing pictures with some pens and paper Angela had found for him. "I offered to look after Parker because I thought it would help Booth out, but instead he's stuck in hospital feeling ill, and all I can do for him is yell at his son and make them both miserable."

"You are helping them, sweetie," Angela reassured her. "I'm sure Booth appreciates what you're doing for him."

"He hardly noticed I was there." Trying not to sound self-pitying, she went on hurriedly, "And I've got to speak to Goodman and tell him I need tomorrow off too."

"Does Booth know when they'll discharge him?"

"No, I'm going to ring after lunch and see how he is. He might have had this new surgery by then. He might be out tomorrow, but I can't count on it."

"At least it will be the weekend after that," Angela pointed out.

"I'm supposed to be getting a load of writing done this week, I'm behind on my schedule, but I'm so tired I can't stay up and write tonight, and I can't get anything done while Parker's running around." Brennan glanced over at the child, who was still happily occupied with a bright red pen.

Dr. Goodman appeared at the door. "Our guests are here, Dr. Brennan," he said cheerfully. "Do you have that report you promised me? I'd like a quick look before we officially hand it over, if I may."

"Yes, Dr. Goodman." Brennan jumped up and went to the desk, returning with a brown manila folder that she handed to her boss. "Uh, Dr. Goodman? Booth is going to be in hospital for at least another day, so is it okay with you if I take tomorrow off as well? Or I could bring Parker into work if you'd prefer," she added at her boss's frown.

He held up a sheet of paper from the report. The closely typed sheet was now adorned around the margins with a colourful family of smiling faces. "I don't think that would be a good idea, Dr. Brennan," he said dryly. "I suggest you take whatever time off is necessary until Booth is fully recovered and once more able to deal with his own childcare. I know I can trust you to make up the work where necessary."

Brennan flushed with embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Parker must have..." She looked down at the child, who was gazing solemnly up at her with those big brown eyes that were so like his father's. "I'll print another copy." She dived towards the desk, rescuing more papers from under Parker's poised felt-tip.

Dr. Goodman nodded curtly at her. "I suggest you make haste, Dr. Brennan." He turned on his heel and left the doorway.

Brennan looked in despair at Angela, who was fighting to hold back laughter. "See what I mean?" she hissed. "He's a little monster!"

Angela sobered, and moved to put an arm round her friend's shoulders. "Sweetie," she said. "You're tired, and you're worried and upset about Booth, and Parker is not used to you, and you've never cared for a child in your life – I'm not surprised you're finding it a bit much to handle."

Brennan straightened up and squared her shoulders, thrusting her bottom jaw forward in determination. "I can handle it," she assured Angela. "I have a steep learning curve, and if I can track through China avoiding the Red Army I'm sure I can handle a four year old child."

Angela clapped her hands in mock admiration. "You go, girl," she said encouragingly. "I'm sure you'll cope just fine. Now you'd better sort out your printouts and go off to your meeting, and let me worry about Parker for a while."

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_I really appreciate all the reviews. Keep them coming please :-)_

_Don't be afraid to tell me of anything you feel didn't work for you, as well as anything that did. _


	5. Chapter 5 self catering

_Thank you for your reviews! _

_We will hear more from Booth soon, honest, but first we need to get Brennan and Parker's relationship established..._****

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If you're self-catering there's shopping to manage..._**

Brennan had been looking forward to this meeting all morning. Not only was it a chance to discuss a matter that interested her professionally, but it was also a chance to chat to other adults, rather than a four-year-old child. Even so, she found it hard to concentrate. Her thoughts, instead, were out in the lab, wondering what Parker was doing, whether Angela was coping okay. She was relieved when the meeting was finally over and she could leave. Dr. Goodman raised an eyebrow as she shot out of the door, but she flashed him an apologetic smile and he shook his head in amusement.

When she reached Angela's office she was startled to find her friend on her own, working on a facial reconstruction from a skull. "Where's Parker?" she demanded.

Angela looked up and smiled at her. "Don't panic, Sweetie. Hodgins and Zack took him for some lunch. They'll be back soon."

Brennan sank into the nearest chair, with a sigh of relief. "Was he good?"

"He was a little angel," Angela reassured her. "Well, nearly." She gave a deprecating grin. "He's a bit of a handful, I'll admit, but nothing unusual for a four year old. I remember my nephew; he was so hard to keep up with at that age. Parker's fine."

Brennan took the opportunity to phone the hospital to enquire after Booth, and what she heard made her frown. She explained the news to Angela. "Booth's had more surgery, but he's had a bad reaction to the anaesthetic. He's going to be fine, but he's feeling really rough this afternoon, and he's asked that we don't visit."

"Poor Booth," said Angela, looking sympathetic. She produced some sandwiches, which Brennan munched on thankfully while running round trying to sort out the many problems that had cropped up in her absence that morning.

A short while later, they heard laughter in the lab, and Brennan saw Hodgins and Zack walking back in. Parker was a few steps ahead of them, and Zack had to jump forward to stop the boy from walking through the security system onto the raised lab floor. She stood up wearily and walked down to them, stifling a yawn. "Hi Parker, have you been good?"

Parker nodded happily. "Zack got me two burgers, and he let me share his ice cream."

Brennan frowned at the two men. "You really should be making sure he has a healthy diet," she said disapprovingly.

Hodgins grinned back. "We thought we'd just follow the example you set," he said.

"Talking of which..." Brennan held out her hand to Parker. "Come on, we've got to go shopping."

"Can we go see Daddy?"

Brennan crouched down beside him. What could she say? That his daddy was feeling so ill he didn't want to see him? That she was desperate to go and sit by him and help him feel better, but she had to look after his son instead? That it was eating her up inside that she couldn't be with her friend when he needed her?

"Daddy's not feeling very well this afternoon, and he wants to sleep. We'll go and see him tomorrow. But now we've got to get those fruity stones or whatever it is you like."

Parker pouted, and she could see his eyes fill with tears. She looked up at Angela helplessly, but it was Zack who came to the rescue. "Come on, little guy," he said cheerfully, lifting Parker up onto his shoulders. "I'll give you a ride to the car."

Brennan shot him a grateful look. "Do you want to take him down, Zack?" she requested. "I'll just grab my things and be with you."

He nodded. "No problem, Dr. Brennan," he responded. "I like looking after Parker. He reminds me of my younger brother."

Brennan watched the pair go. "It's not fair, Ange," she said. "Everyone else is much better with Parker than I am. I feel so helpless. I could help Booth more by keeping him company."

"I'm sure Booth is content knowing that you're taking care of his son," Angela reassured her. "And you and Parker will be just fine, I know it. After all, you have something very important in common." At Brennan's questioning look she smiled. "You both care very deeply for Booth."

Brennan shook her head in mock despair at her friend's comment, and headed out of the lab to catch up with Zack and Parker. But as she went, she pondered what Angela had said. She had been viewing Parker as a necessary nuisance, something to be put up with to keep Booth happy. She was suddenly seeing him in a new light, as a small person who was deeply unhappy because someone he loved was hurt. She vowed to be nicer to him.

* * *

That vow was tested severely over the next hour as they wandered through the aisles of the supermarket. Parker first tried his hardest to get her to let him push the cart. Once she had narrowly averted the fall of a stack of cans, she insisted on taking over. First he threatened to burst into tears, then started shouting at her angrily. Brennan did her best to ignore him, her eyes searching the shelves for the shopping they needed. A shop assistant shouted irritably after them as Parker threw a packet of cereal on the floor when she tried to ask him if it was what he wanted. Brennan bit her lip and tried desperately to avoid shouting at the boy. "He's Booth's son, and he's missing his father," she repeated to herself, bending to pick up the box. She was startled when a woman of about fifty came close up to her and placed her hand on Brennan's arm.

"You're doing a grand job, love," the woman said.

"I'm sorry?" Brennan was startled by her words. She replaced the box on the shelf, and looked anxiously round for Parker.

"It's so easy to give into them and spoil them," the woman confided. "I remember how hard it was with my children. Good for you, not giving in to his yelling. He'll learn."

"Thank you." Brennan found herself fighting back tears at the kind words of a stranger. Was she really that tired and on edge? Parker came and stood between her and the woman, as if to protect her. He reached up and grabbed Brennan's hand.

"Dr. Bones is looking after me," he told the woman. "My daddy's in hospital."

"Oh, I see." The woman nodded in understanding. "Then in that case, you need to take good care of her, don't you?" She smiled at Brennan. "Good luck," she said with a smile.

Brennan smiled back, feeling slightly better. She held Parker's hand tightly and turned to him. "Tell you what," she suggested. "Why don't you tell me what you think we should buy?"

Parker nodded. He pointed to the cereal high on the shelf. "That's Fruity Pebbles," he explained. "And that's Coco Puffs. Can we have them too? Daddy likes them."

Brennan reached them down and put them in the cart. Parker ran on, leading her through the aisles to the cookies. "And Daddy likes these, too. Can we have these?"

Brennan allowed him to choose a selection of cookies to place in the cart. "We need something for dinner too," she reminded him. "What do you want?"

"McDonalds!" he answered excitedly.

"Uh uh, no way. You've had McDonalds twice today already. I couldn't look your father in the eye if I let you eat it for dinner as well. What else? I could cook some pasta with chicken, if you like."

He scowled. "I don't like pasta. Want a burger."

Brennan managed to persuade him to agree to fish fingers and they duly located some in the freezer cabinet. Parker looked at the candy display as they passed it, but took one look at the expression on Brennan's face and closed his mouth again before asking. She stifled a smile at this small victory and joined the queue at the checkout.

The junk food and snacks they had purchased came to more than Brennan had been expecting, but she dismissed it as a necessary expense, and they headed back to Booth's place to put the shopping away. Parker looked at his bike, sitting near the door. "When can I ride my bike?" he asked.

"I think your daddy wants to help you learn to ride it," Brennan hedged.

"But I can ride it with the training wheels, can't I? At the park?"

Brennan smiled. "Okay, that sounds reasonable." And the pair headed out of the door with the bike. After all, if she couldn't get any writing done, Brennan figured that at the very least she could throw herself into the job at hand, and keep Parker occupied. That way neither of them had so much time to worry about Booth.

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_Please let me know what you think!_  



	6. Chapter 6 pastimes

_They don't belong to me and I'm making no money out of this. Sadly._

_Many thanks to Kathy Reichs, Fox and anyone else involved in bringing these wonderful characters to us._

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_**_  
We can spend our vacation time in lots of different pastimes..._**

**Thursday Evening**

Two hours later, Parker had worn himself out pedalling his bike furiously round the park, splashed mud all over himself from the puddles that still lay on the paths and grassy areas, and was happily sitting in the bath. Brennan noticed with amusement that he showed no interest in the yellow duck that was still balanced between the taps.

Brennan fumbled her way round the unfamiliar kitchen, admiring the way everything was organised and sorted. Last night she had just headed instinctively for the coffee, and this morning she had been focused on breakfast, but now she took her time to look around. She was impressed at the cookbooks lined up on the windowsill; they looked well thumbed-through, and as she picked one or two books up and looked through them, they fell open at certain pages. She made a mental note of the types of meals Booth liked, out of curiosity; usually meals that could be thrown together quickly, with a small range of healthy ingredients. Maybe he had been telling the truth when he said he ate healthily. One of the books held recipes that gave details of far more elaborate meals, and the sudden thought of him cooking an intimate meal for himself and Tessa, or some other woman, made her throat tighten. She put that book back hurriedly, as if it had burnt her fingers.

The kitchen was clean and tidy, the stove was gleaming, and the sink had been left clean apart from her coffee cup from the night before and a Bob the Builder plastic glass that Parker had filled with milk before bed. A cupboard below the sink revealed an assortment of cleaning materials, most showing signs of use. She smiled to herself at the thought of Booth dancing through his apartment with a feather duster the way she did herself.

She opened the fridge, resisting the temptation to flinch as she did so, in expectation of an explosion. Even these weeks later, she found it hard to see any fridge without thinking of the time when she was so uncomfortable about welcoming Booth into her apartment. She had just begun to relax with him and enjoy his company in the one place she usually kept absolutely private from the world, only to see him blown up in a bomb aimed at her.

All was neat and tidy, the cartons of milk and other supplies she'd put away earlier lined up next to the two bottles of beer and three eggs that were already in there. She opened the freezer, looking for the supplies she'd hurriedly thrown in there before they went out. Now that she looked more closely, the assorted packages looked out of place amongst the order elsewhere, and she lined them up more neatly.

She put the fish fingers and smiley potato faces into the oven, then hurried back to the bathroom to help Parker wrap himself up in a towel and get dry. He smiled up at her. "I'm all clean now," he pronounced, and she nodded her approval as she rubbed the towel roughly over his hair. Parker's hair was longer than Booth's, and curled attractively round his face, giving him a sweet expression, but as she pushed the damp hair away from his face, she could see the shape of his jaw and cheekbones, and was struck again by how much like his father he was.

Adapting one of Booth's recipes to the ingredients she had bought and those she found in the cupboards, she threw a meal together for herself while Parker's dinner cooked, and then he sat and ate happily next to her as she tucked into her chicken and pasta. He even consented to try a small mouthful of her dinner, and pronounced it "not bad." High praise, Brennan thought wryly. She had enjoyed it herself; somehow eating one of Booth's meals made her feel closer to the man.

"Can we play a game, Dr. Bones?" Parker asked when all had been cleared away. Brennan looked longingly at her laptop, but Parker had been so good over the past few hours that she found it difficult to refuse him, so she reluctantly agreed. Soon afterwards she found herself hitting the popup in the middle of the game where the die sat and moving little counters around the board in a game called Frustration. "It certainly lives up to its name," she remarked with amusement, as Parker landed his green counter on her red one for the fifth time in the game, sending it back to base. She popped, gained a four, and moved another of her counters on top of Parker's.

"That's not fair," Parker cried indignantly. "You're not allowed to land on my counters."

"But you landed on mine!" she protested.

"You're not 'llowed. Daddy says so." Parker's bottom lip began to tremble, and his eyes shone with tears.

"Oh, well, if it's Daddy's rules..." Anxious to keep Parker happy, Brennan conceded defeat, placed the counters back and moved her other counter instead. Parker beamed, rolled the die again and moved his threatened counter to safety. Five minutes later, all his counters were sitting in the safe zone and Brennan sat back. "You win!"

Parker beamed. "I always win!"

Brennan pouted. "I'm not surprised, if that's the rules Daddy plays by," she complained teasingly.

Parker turned and put his arms round her neck in a gentle hug. "Don't be sad, Dr. Bones," he comforted her. "I'll let you win next time, if you like." Brennan hugged him back, suddenly feeling very fond of this little boy.

"Bed now," she said. Parker was too tired to protest much, so she helped Parker pack the game away, and then they searched through his things. Eventually, a little yellow rabbit was found tucked into the arm of a sweater at the bottom of his bag.

"Baba!" cried Parker in delight. He cuddled the rabbit to him and climbed into bed. "Thanks, Dr. Bones."

"Goodnight, Parker." She kissed him gently and left the room.

"Story!"

She shot back in. "Sorry! I forgot! I'm not very good at this, am I?" she confided playfully.

Parker gave her a comforting smile. "Don't worry, Dr. Bones. You'll soon get the hang of things. Daddy says the more you try at things, the better you get." His face fell suddenly as he thought of his daddy, and Brennan hurriedly picked a book off the shelf and began reading.

Brennan was yawning by the time she finished the story, and Parker was nearly asleep. She wandered back through to the living room, and noticed a book slid down the side of the cushions of the comfy chair that looked like it was used most. She picked it up, and finding a bookmark in it, she realised that Booth must have been reading it. Flicking through the first few pages, she settled herself comfortably in the chair and began to read. She briefly considered doing more writing while she had the opportunity, but convinced herself she was actually studying the writing style in Booth's book.

An hour later, she felt she was beginning to feel very sleepy, so she headed to bed herself. Booth's robe was still thrown across the bed, and she snuggled into it before making herself a mug of cocoa to take to bed with her. She drank it appreciatively, thinking of all that had happened that day. She was beginning to feel slightly more comfortable around Parker, but was still desperately wishing for Booth to come home so she could get back to her own life.

Although, now the thought had crossed her mind, she did feel a pang of disappointment at the thought of no longer staying at Booth's place. Maybe he'd still need help for a day or two? Pondering the thought, she turned the light off and lay down and fell asleep, to dream of Booth lying in a hospital bed in the kitchen watching her cook tiny red and green plastic counters.

Half an hour later she woke up to find a small body wriggling its way under the covers to join her. Too tired to protest, she quickly suppressed the thought that she really ought to put him back in his own bed, and she allowed him to curl up next to her. Not long afterwards sleep claimed her again.

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_A/N: If I've done anything like I've been aiming at, you should be feeling like Brennan - enjoying getting to know more about Booth by looking around his things, but starting to really miss the man._

_Don't worry, he'll be in the next part!_

_Please let me know what you think so far - have I achieved my aim? _


	7. Chapter 7 family obligations

_They still don't belong to me, although I keep asking. And I can't afford to buy them, especially since I get nothing but the pleasure of writing (and reading reviews, of course) from these stories. Check out Kathy Reichs for a real master (mistress?) of writing, and check out the TV programs to see the characters we all love in action.._

_I'm feeling generous, and can't wait to see what you think of this part, so you're getting this update sooner than I'd thought. Enjoy - and don't forget to tell me what you think! _

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**_Sometimes we have to spend vacation time doing things we'd rather not do..._**

**Friday morning**

This time she had remembered to unset the alarm, and they slept in until nearly eight o'clock. Brennan quickly jumped up and had a shower, leaving Parker to play with his toys. Then she tried to get him settled to breakfast.

This morning, he decided he didn't want Fruity Pebbles. Or Coco Puffs. Or anything, in fact. Brennan sighed in despair, then she poured him a bowl of Fruity Pebbles anyway. "You eat that or you go hungry," she told him firmly. Parker looked at her, his eyes wide. "You can pull your puppy eyes on me as much as you want, but that won't change things. Eat or go hungry," she repeated.

Reluctantly Parker spooned cereal into his mouth, watching her over the top of the spoon the whole time. Brennan felt unnerved. To get away, she moved to the living room and phoned the hospital, relieved to hear Booth was feeling much better.

"Come on," she said briskly, re-entering the kitchen. "Time to get dressed, then we can go and see Daddy."

Parker ran out of the room, and came back soon after, dressed in his muddy jeans from the day before.

"You can't wear those," Brennan scolded him. "They're dirty. Let's dress you up nicely for Daddy." She found him some clean, smart clothes, but found herself having to dress him, as he stood woodenly staring at the floor.

"What's the matter?" she asked, but he shook his head and refused to say anything.

He maintained his silence all the way to the hospital, and Brennan was starting to feel worried. As they walked across the parking lot towards the building, Parker started dragging his feet and walking slower and slower. Eventually Brennan stopped and crouched down in front of him. She took hold of his arms gently. "What's the matter, Parker?" she asked. "Don't you want to see Daddy?"

To her surprise, Parker shook his head. Tears were starting to build up in his eyes.

"Why ever not? Daddy will be sad if we don't go and see him." Brennan was starting to feel irritated. After living in Booth's house and seeing his things, and even smelling his scent all around her for the last couple of days, she was missing him desperately, and could not wait to see his cheerful smile.

Parker looked at her. "My Daddy's going to die, isn't he," he said, and started crying in earnest.

Brennan stared at him in shock. "What on earth put that idea in your head?" She gathered the small child up in her arms and carried him to a nearby bench. They sat together, his arms entwined around her neck.

His sobs quietened a bit. "Daddy's real sick in hospital, and when Granddad was sick and I had to put my best clothes on he died, and they put him in the ground and buried him and I don't want to put my best clothes on and I don't want Daddy to die and be buried in the ground," he blurted out.

Brennan smiled through the tears that were prickling the back of her own eyes. "That's silly," she said gently. "Daddy's not going to die. Daddy's just hurt his shoulder, and he felt real sick yesterday, but today he feels a lot better."

"So why did we have to dress up?" Parker sniffed, looking up at her.

"Because…" Brennan thought for a moment. She couldn't let Parker wear muddy jeans, that much was true, but just why had she taken such care with her own dressing that morning? She decided to skim over that one.

"Because it will cheer Daddy up when he sees us looking all nice," she finished.

Parker was not convinced. He sat pouting, with the occasional tear still sliding down his cheek.

Brennan had an idea. "When you hurt yourself, or feel ill, what do you do?" she questioned him.

Parker thought. "I go to Mummy or Daddy and they cuddle me and make it better," he said at last.

Brennan nodded. "And that's why we have to go see Daddy now. Because Daddy's feeling bad because his shoulder hurts, and he's stuck in here where it's really boring, and he wants to get better. So he needs someone who loves him to give him a kiss and cuddle to make it all better so he can come home again," she explained.

Parker brightened up at that, and jumped off her lap. "Come on then, Dr. Bones, let's go kiss Daddy better," he said.

Brennan smiled and stood up, taking his hand. "I'm coming," she answered, happy to have dealt with that crisis reasonably successfully.

As they entered the room they could see immediately that Booth was feeling stronger. He was sitting up in bed watching TV, with an array of puddings on the movable tray across his legs. He was trying to hold on to one pot with his left arm, still in the sling, while he spooned some of the sweet concoction into his mouth with the other hand.

"Hey, my two favourite people," he greeted them cheerfully, putting down both pot and spoon and pushing the tray away.

Parker walked forward, still holding Brennan's hand tightly. "We've come to kiss you better, so you can come home," he explained. With Brennan's help, he climbed up onto the bed and put his arms round his daddy's neck, giving him a great big kiss, then he climbed back off again and looked expectantly at Brennan. "Your turn," he said.

She stared at him. "What?" she managed.

"You said that Daddy needs kisses and cuddles from people who love him so he can get better. You do love him, don't you Dr. Bones?" Parker looked expectantly up at her, as she struggled to know how to answer him. She heard an amused chuckle from the bed, and looked up to see Booth watching her closely, looking slightly embarrassed himself.

"Sorry, Bones, he will get ideas into his head," he apologized, obviously trying to make her feel better. "You might be best to give in – otherwise you could just dig us both into a very big hole."

Brennan smiled nervously. "I didn't exactly say…" she began.

"It's alright, Bones, just give in and do what the boy tells you. It won't hurt, I promise."

"'Cos Daddy loves you too, don't you, Daddy?" Parker persisted.

Booth bit his lip, trying to fight off his own embarrassed grin, and Brennan leant forward, trying to save both their blushes.

"Thanks, Bones," he whispered in her ear as she kissed him gently on the cheek and gave him a small hug. He hugged her back, more tightly than she had expected, and she felt a warm feeling come over her as she caught his scent, even more familiar from the nights spent between his sheets.

As she stood back, she found herself feeling rather flustered, not a common feeling for her. She was far more used to feeling detached and in control. She looked helplessly at Booth, not sure what to say, but Parker came to the rescue, picking up the pot and spoon and trying to feed his dad with pudding. Booth laughed and tried to help, but wasn't allowed, and soon Parker had emptied the pot and was licking the spoon off. Brennan found herself searching for tissues for Booth to clear the last of the pudding from his face, nose, and – inexplicably – his left ear. Their eyes met for the first time since the kiss, and Brennan found herself grinning stupidly at him, meeting a similar grin on his face.

"I gather you're having fun taking care of my son?" he commented with amusement.

Brennan gave Parker a quick cuddle. "We're looking after each other, aren't we, Bub," she said, realising only after she'd said it that she'd used Booth's pet name for his son. A sneaky glance revealed that Booth either didn't mind or hadn't noticed, so she went on, "We're missing you. Do you know when you're coming out yet?"

He shook his head. "I'm hoping tomorrow," he answered. "But there's no guarantee on that yet. Are you still okay to hang onto him?"

"No problem," she assured him with a smile. "Parker and me – we're doing just fine together." And for the first time since she had taken responsibility for the young child, she was sure that was true.

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_Still enjoying it? Let me know! What's your favourite bit? Any bits you don't like?  
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	8. Chapter 8 clothes

_I thought the last part would go down well! I was bowled over by your reviews. Thank you.

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_**_  
Sorting out clothes on vacation can be a dilemma_**

**Friday lunchtime **

They stayed for an hour longer, but by the end of that time Parker was starting to get very fidgety and complaining he was hungry, and it was hard for them to keep him occupied. Booth tried to persuade Brennan to stay longer, but she refused. "We'll be back this afternoon, Booth, but Parker needs a break and you need some rest."

"Could you do me a favour?" he asked as they stood up. "Could you bring me some clothes when you come back? I'm hoping they discharge me tomorrow, then I can get ready for you to pick me up."

"Okay," she answered. "Anything in particular?"

"No, I trust you," he said with a grin. "You should find everything you need. There's a bag in the wardrobe, I think."

"Give Daddy a kiss, Parker," Brennan prompted. She was embarrassed but also secretly pleased when he insisted she do the same. She bent over Booth again, and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. He smiled at her.

"See, Bones?" he said cheerfully. "I told you it wouldn't hurt."

"It's a good thing Angela's not here," was all she said in answer.

He chuckled. "She's pressuring you too, huh?"

Brennan was taken by surprise with this. She knew Angela often made comments to her about Booth. Could it be that she also made remarks to Booth about her? She made up her mind to ask her friend at the earliest opportunity.

When she had settled Parker in front of the TV with a peanut butter sandwich and made herself a meat sandwich, she headed for Booth's bedroom to sort out some clothes. She found a black sports bag in the bottom of the wardrobe, alongside a well-used squash racket, and placed it on the bed. Shoes were easy; she found a pair of sneakers she recognised and put them in the bag. Then she turned her attention to the bureau. A pair of jeans was still sticking out of one drawer, so she retrieved those and put them in the bag. So far so good.

She sat eating her sandwich as she contemplated the top drawers of the bureau. It felt very odd, to be going through Booth's clothes like this. She opened one of the drawers and found socks, all bundled together in pairs. Most of them had designs on, and she found herself looking through them and chuckling at one or two. She debated whether she felt daring enough to send in Horny Little Devil socks, or ones which boasted "I'm too sexy for my socks", but she decided she didn't feel brave enough, so she settled for the black pair with a white partial skeleton on them. The bone structure wasn't strictly accurate, but she thought Booth would appreciate the joke, and more importantly she would still be able to look him in the eye.

She turned to the next drawer. As she had guessed, she found boxers. She was amused to recognise the red pair Booth had been wearing at Christmas, when Hodgins and Zack had doomed them all to a couple of days in quarantine together. Her hand brushed something else, and she pulled out a packet of condoms. She stood looking at them for a while. The force of her reaction to them startled her. It made her chest ache to think of Booth being intimate with someone else. She didn't think he was in any steady relationship at the moment; she hadn't heard him mention anyone since he broke up with Tessa; but this find was a stark reminder that he was a healthy, attractive man, and had every right to be involved with women.

She forced herself to put the packet back and not to think about it, but still she felt uneasy, as if something foreign had imposed itself alongside their friendship. She hurriedly discarded a pair of boxers with flames round the legs and Red Hot Lover printed on them, and a pair covered in yellow smiley faces, and picked a pair of boxers with Superdad printed all over them. She threw them into the bag alongside the rest of the clothes, then looked in the next drawer. This contained mainly tee shirts, neatly ironed and folded. She nearly picked one up, but then thought of Booth trying to get it on with a sore shoulder, and put it back.

Moving back to the wardrobe, she found a few casual shirts among the dress shirts and suits hanging there. She chose one with a red and blue check design, and placed that neatly in the bag as well. As a final thought, she placed Booth's jacket across the top of everything else, then remembered she hadn't taken the money out for the shopping. She located his wallet in his inside pocket, and took it out. As invasive as the rest of her actions had felt to her, she was used to going through other people's belongings. Granted, they were usually already dead, but all the same, everything she had done for Booth so far had felt more natural to her than this. Opening Booth's wallet suddenly felt a real invasion of privacy, and she sat looking at it for a few minutes before she found the courage to open it.

There was a photo of Parker inside, taken a few months ago. His hair was shorter in the photo, and he was grinning at the camera with a cheeky expression on his face. Brennan found a couple of credit cards, and half a dozen cards with Booth's work phone number on. She caught half a glimpse of something else in the wallet, hesitated, then hurriedly took out enough money to cover the shopping and put the wallet back in his pocket without looking closely enough to confirm or deny what she thought she might have seen. She really didn't want to look too closely into her partner's life while he wasn't here to explain himself.

She sat on the bed, looking at the bag. Collecting the clothes together had distracted herself from the thought that while she felt relief that her partner was getting better and would soon be home, she also dreaded collecting him from hospital. She had felt closer to him than ever before over the past couple of days, even though she had seen little of him, and the thought of going back to the easy, casual friendship seemed unbearable after the intimacy of living in his house, caring for his son and sleeping in his bed.

She had supposed she would feel only relief at having her responsibilities ended, but now she felt an unbearable longing sweep over her. Shaking herself, she stood up. Booth was a friend, that was all. The feeling she was starting to feel whenever she saw him was a crush maybe, brought on by circumstances, but nothing more than that. It was important that she get it under control, before it threatened their partnership. Perhaps, when she considered what was at stake, it was a good thing that Booth would be back soon. She didn't think she would be able to remain this close to him for too much longer without running the risk of doing something foolish and ruining their friendship.

Heading back to the living room, she found Parker had eaten all of his sandwich but the crust, and was cheering on Blue's Clues. She picked up his plate and took it to the kitchen, putting it in the sink with her plate. As she turned to go out of the kitchen she noticed that a picture on the wall was crooked, and she moved to straighten it. As she did so, she noticed something behind it. Moving the picture, she discovered a large stain on the wall, along with a couple of marks in the plaster. She frowned, and investigated the stain closer. It looked like coffee. She looked back at the table and frowned, imagining Booth furiously throwing a full coffee mug at the wall, then putting a picture up to hide the marks.

"Dr. Bones, Steve and Blue found it," Parker announced suddenly at the doorway. Bones looked up at him, startled, and hurriedly replaced the picture back on the wall.

"Found what?" she asked. She realized he was talking about the TV program he'd been watching. "Oh – never mind, I don't really want to know."

She turned back to the sink and washed up the plates, and Parker helped her put them away in the cupboard. "Can we go see Daddy again now?" he asked.

She nodded. "We've just got to take some things with us." She hurried down the hallway, retrieved the bag she'd packed for Booth, and went into Parker's room to fetch something else for it. Then she came back to find the boy. "Come on, then. Let's get back and see Daddy again, see what he had for lunch."

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_A/N: I had fun investigating the designs of underwear available for this part!_

_Please let me know what you thought. We'll see more and more of Booth over the coming parts, now he's feeling better. _


	9. Chapter 9 fun and games

_Thanks for the reviews. Interestingly, many people were intrigued by what was in Booth's wallet and by the coffee stain. I know what I think they are, but if anyone wishes to make a suggestion, I'm willing to reconsider!_

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_**All sorts of entertainments can be found between friends **_

**Fun and Games **

Again, Booth looked pleased to see them, and this time Brennan found it came more naturally to bend over him and give him a kiss. He held on to her arm for a moment. "I really do appreciate all you've done for me, Bones," he said.

She gave a weak smile. "Hey, that's what friends are for, remember?" She felt like she could almost hear the dismissal in his voice, as he prepared to take back responsibility for his son.

Brennan dumped the bag on the bed. "Here's your clothes," she said. She pulled something out of the bag. "And I thought we might be able to use this this afternoon."

Booth looked down at the box. "Frustration?"

"Yes. It's a fascinating game. It lives up to its name; it's amusing to think of a game that has the purpose of fraying tempers and creating annoyance, rather than being a pleasant pastime, but I found it rather entertaining. It might help keep Parker occupied for a while. He seems to enjoy it."

Booth smiled at her and she felt pleasure flood through her body. To cover her embarrassment, she got the game out of the box and placed it on the tray. "So, you want to play?"

"I'm green!" Parker cried.

"I'm red," Booth answered.

"You can't be red, Daddy. Dr. Bones is red."

"Oh, that's alright," Brennan said, conceding Booth's right to choose his colour first. "I'll be blue."

Eventually the pieces were set out and the game began. Parker was always eager to pop the die for everyone, and proved surprisingly good at getting sixes. Booth allowed Parker to move his red counters as well as his own green ones, but insisted on checking his counting each time; Parker had a habit of miscounting if by doing so he could land on someone's counter and send them back to base.

Booth got a five, and told Parker to move his front counter, but Parker refused. "You're not 'llowed to land on me, Daddy," he explained irritably. "Dr. Bones says so."

"Why you –" Brennan cried. "You told me it was Daddy's rules."

Booth grinned. "He's not above cheating," he explained apologetically.

"Yes, I've noticed that. And he's not above using his big brown eyes and charming smile to get what he's after, either." She bit her lip, realising that what she had said applied equally to the boy's father, but Booth chuckled and didn't seem to take offence.

"Well, Bones," he said. "We men have got to make the most of our natural good looks, you know."

She swatted him playfully. "By the way," she said. "I saw a squash racket in the wardrobe. Do you play?"

He nodded. "I used to play a lot, but the guy I used to play against got transferred, and I haven't sorted out another partner yet."

"I'll play you," she offered. She felt embarrassed when he hesitated. "It's okay, stupid idea," she backtracked.

"No, it's okay, Bones, I was just considering my chances of playing you at a competitive game and escaping unscathed."

She looked at him, mustering up a look of scorn. "Don't worry, I'll give you a three point advantage," she offered.

He just smiled, and whispered in Parker's ear. Brennan suddenly started noticing that father and son were working together against her; they'd pass up on opportunities to land on each other's counters, but would both land on hers whenever they could. Again and again her counters got sent back to base, while they both travelled round the board. She felt herself getting absurdly worked up about the game. Maybe Booth noticed, because he eventually said, "Come on, Parker, we'd better play fair." But it was too late for her to have any chance of winning, and she conceded defeat before she became too frustrated to stay in the room with them.

"So, still think you're getting out tomorrow?" she asked, forcing herself to sound casual.

Booth nodded. "It's all looking that way." He helped Parker set the pieces up again. Brennan looked down at the board. Suddenly, the last thing she wanted to do was to play another game. For a few minutes they had been relaxed and happy together, but she had had a harsh reminder that it was father and son against the world. She excused herself for a moment and wandered out of the room, leaving Booth and Parker setting up for another game. When she came back in, she noticed Booth looking a little sheepish.

Parker took her by the hand and led her back to her chair. "I'll help you, this time," he whispered in her ear, and to Brennan's pleasure this time she and Parker managed to keep Booth trapped in his home area for most of the game. He laughed, and took it in good spirit, but was starting to hit the die cover with slightly more force than necessary as he tried in vain for a six.

"You'll have fun with Parker and his bike then," she said, remembering what Parker had planned for the weekend.

"What's that?" Booth looked up, confused.

"You're meant to be helping him learn to ride his bike, apparently," she reminded him.

"Oh, I'd forgotten." He sat silently for a moment, thinking. Then he looked up at her. "I think that might be left to you, if that's okay," he said, regretfully.

"Me?" Brennan couldn't understand what he meant by that.

"Sorry, Bones, I've been assuming here - you will be okay to stick around for the weekend, won't you? I'm still not going to be up to much for a few days, and I won't be able to use my arm very much. I could really use the help."

Brennan felt her heart beat faster. She couldn't possibly stay. It was hard enough to hide her feelings for Booth now; what would it be like with a whole weekend in his company? She would never be able to work with him again. What she needed to do was spend the weekend working in the lab during the day and writing her novel at night. That way her feelings could be put back under control before she had to work with Booth again.

Parker put his arms round her neck. "Please stay, Dr. Bones," he said.

Brennan forced a smile. "I'd be glad to stay," she said.

"Are you sure? We're asking a lot of you, giving up your weekend, but I just don't know how I'd manage otherwise."

"No problem, honestly. Uh - what about sleeping arrangements though? You'll be wanting your own bed back. Shall I just come round during the day?"

Booth looked down at Parker. "It sounds to me like Parker's bed is going empty every night," he said. "You could sleep in that, if you'd like. It might be easier than coming and going all the time."

"I could do that," she said slowly, her mind churning. Her heart was turning somersaults in excitement at the thought of staying the weekend with Booth, if only to help him care for Parker, while her mind was throwing insults at her for pushing the boundaries of her friendship even further.

Just for once, she decided to listen to her heart, and not her head. Besides, Booth needed her, and she couldn't let him down, could she?

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_As ever, please let me know what you think!_  



	10. Chapter 10 exciting events

_Again, thanks for the reviews. Sorry for the delay in posting this. Next part should be up soon.

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_**_  
some events on vacation are eagerly anticipated..._**

**Friday afternoon**

When it was finally time to go, Brennan took Parker by the hand and led him firmly out of the room, ignoring his protests. Once again she had kissed Booth without being prompted, then realised what she had done and felt embarrassed. But Booth seemed to take it as natural, so she forced herself to shrug it off. After all, Angela hugged people a lot. Some people were like that; it didn't mean they were declaring eternal love by doing so.

Parker was in an obstinate mood that evening, arguing and complaining. He was really bad-tempered with his toys, and ended up throwing one across the floor. Brennan thought of the coffee stain on the kitchen wall and wondered briefly. She could not blame the child though; she herself felt stretched out thin, desperately waiting for the next morning when Booth could finally come home.

Eventually she managed to get Parker into bed. She had noticed the little boy was yawning and rubbing his eyes, and worked hard to get him to settle to sleep, but it took several stories. She had settled him into Booth's bed; since he would be sleeping there for the rest of the weekend, it had seemed pointless to insist on him starting the night in his own bed as she had done previously.

She sat with her laptop, trying to do some writing, but it was hard to concentrate, and in the end she put it to one side and picked up Booth's book again. When she found she had read three pages without taking anything in, she decided it was time to head for bed.

Brennan did not sleep well that night; she lay awake wondering what the hell she was doing. This stupid crush she had on Booth; she should be doing all she could to get rid of it, not encourage it. The last thing Booth wanted was someone hovering over him and imagining they were in love with him. She tried to think of some way of getting through the weekend without embarrassing them both.

Then she remembered Parker's words; "cos you love Dr. Bones, don't you, Daddy?" What did that mean? Could it be true that Booth had feelings for her as well? She found it hard to imagine that Booth had told Parker he loved her; but then she hadn't told Parker she loved Booth either, but the boy had still guessed at her feelings.

Her thoughts merged to dreams, and her dreams into the beeping of the alarm clock; on this day of all days she did not want to sleep in.

**Saturday morning**

That morning Parker was still being awkward. He woke up demanding breakfast. Then he refused to get dressed. Then he insisted he wanted to ride his bike instead of going to the hospital.

Finally they were on their way to the hospital to collect Booth.

When they got there Brennan had a few nervous moments imagining that the hospital had decided not to discharge him, but he was pacing up and down the corridor waiting for them, wearing his left arm in a sling. He wore his jacket slung over his bad shoulder, his left sleeve hanging empty. When he saw them coming, he went back into his room and grabbed his bag, then joined them.

"Daddy!" cried Parker happily, and Booth crouched down to hug him. On another occasion, he would have scooped him up in his arms, Brennan thought; the fact that he made no attempt to do so even one-handed showed how much his shoulder was still bothering him. They walked together to the car. Was Booth walking slower than he usually did, or was it her imagination? Parker had turned shy around his father, and walked holding tightly to Brennan's hand.

Booth automatically moved to the driver's side, then remembered himself and opened the door for Brennan instead. She smiled her thanks, noticing how pale he looked. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, concerned.

He nodded and went round to help Parker strap himself in, fumbling one-handedly with the straps. In the end Brennan leaned through to help him. He jumped slightly at the touch of her hand, then held the strap while she fastened it. Then he climbed into the car and sat leaning his head back against the headrest. Brennan sat looking at him for a few moments before she started the engine.

Booth was silent on the way back home, and Brennan found herself wondering just how fully recovered he was. She opened the front door for him, and he headed straight for the comfy chair, almost collapsing into it. "It's okay, I'm fine," he assured her, as she hovered over him. "I'm just a little tired, that's all. I've been in bed for three days, remember." He stretched his legs out in front of him and crossed his ankles, adjusting his position in the chair to be a little more comfortable.

"Coffee?" she offered. He nodded, and she made it in the Jeffersonian mug. He raised his eyebrows when she placed it on the coffee table in front of him.

"I did pay for it," he assured her, with the ghost of a grin.

She grinned back. "You didn't have to; I could have got you one."

"No problem."

Parker had gone straight to his bedroom, and now produced his latest lego model for his dad to admire. Booth sat relaxed in the chair, talking softly to his son, and Brennan stood in the kitchen doorway watching them both, and wondering what the future held for them all.

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_Reviews always welcome, and might help me get the next part done a bit faster! _


	11. Chapter 11 trying new activities

_I wasn't going to post this until tomorrow, but I'm in a good mood, and the best parts of this story are coming up and I can't wait to see what you think of them, and I've found a way to circumvent the system, and ... hey, how many excuses do you need?_

_I still don't own any of these characters, but I promise to take good care of them. This story is set when it is written, BTW, which is between season 1 and season 2. I'm not making any money out of this writing, but I did out of some other stuff I did, which is why I'm in such a good mood :-) _

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New activities can be tried whilst on vacation..._**

**Saturday afternoon**

After lunch, Booth had recovered enough to agree to a walk to the park. Parker got excited at the prospect, and started asking Booth to take his trainer wheels off. Booth shook his head. "I'm not really up to that yet, Bub," he said. "Tomorrow, maybe."

"But you promised, Daddy." Parker stuck out his jaw, and turned to Brennan. "You said we could, Dr. Bones."

Brennan looked at Booth. "You did promise," she reminded him.

"I promised I would help him ride his bike this weekend, yes. I wasn't planning on getting shot at the time. It will have to wait until I'm better."

"But I can help him ride his bike. I don't mind." Brennan couldn't bear to see the boy disappointed.

"Please, Daddy!" Parker was jumping up and down.

Booth looked down at his son for a long while, then nodded reluctantly. "As long as Dr. Bones doesn't mind running up and down with you." He seemed disappointed, and Brennan felt suddenly guilty at pressuring him into letting her help Parker.

He fetched a spanner, and Brennan bent to help him as he fumbled one-handedly to remove the training wheels. Parker wheeled his bike happily along the sidewalk to the park, while Brennan walked with Booth behind him. Brennan cast sidelong glances at her partner, who seemed unhappy about something. She touched him lightly on the arm. "Are you sure you're okay with me helping him?"

"I said it was all right, didn't I?" He sounded grumpy, and she felt guilty.

"If you'd rather wait until you're able to do it..."

"It's a bit late now, Bones. You can't just tell him no."

"But learning to ride a bike has significance..."

"...above the basic mechanics. Yeah, I remember." Booth shook his head. "I'd rather not disappoint my son, Bones; that's important too."

She nodded, but still felt bad about it. At least Booth was there to watch, she consoled herself, but it didn't ease the feeling in the pit of her stomach that she'd upset her partner.

When they reached the grassy area near the children's playground, Booth sat down on a bench. Brennan held the back of the bike steady while Parker climbed onto it. She helped him put the pedals in the right place, then they started off together. Parker wobbled dangerously, and Brennan found she could not let go without risk of him falling off, so she ran alongside, bent over awkwardly. They reached the tree at the far end, then she helped him turn the bike round so that they were facing back towards Booth.

"Come on, Parker! You can do it," Booth called encouragingly, as the two of them headed back towards him. This time Brennan was better at running half-bent over, and Parker seemed happier pedaling merrily. As they neared Booth again, just for a few seconds he seemed to be balancing, and Brennan let go of the back of the bike, but Parker made it only a couple of yards before wobbling violently. He lost control and the bike fell to one side. Parker lay on the ground for a moment, as if stunned, then sat up crying. Brennan had stopped when she let go, but now she ran towards him, worried. Parker stood up, abandoning his bike, and ran towards his daddy, who pulled him onto his lap and comforted him. Brennan was left picking the bike up and wheeling it back towards the bench, feeling wretched.

"Is he okay?" she asked, as she got close enough to talk to them.

"He's fine, Bones, don't worry," Booth reassured her, having checked Parker's knee for signs of injury.

"I'm sorry, I thought he was balancing."

"I said it was okay." Booth sounded a little cross. She didn't blame him. Bones had been broken in such simple accidents.

Parker slipped off his dad's lap. "I'm going on the swings," he announced, and ran off, not even looking at his bike. Brennan and Booth looked at each other and Brennan found herself starting to laugh. Booth answered with a wry grin.

"Well, I guess that solves that problem," he said. "Looks like you don't get to help him either."

She sat down on the bench next to Booth, who sighed and stretched his legs out in front of him, rubbing his shoulder distractedly. "Sorry, Bones, I know we're messing up your weekend."

"No, not at all. I can't remember the last time I played games, or went to the park, or sat and enjoyed the sun." Brennan turned and smiled at Booth, and he smiled back; she felt her heart leap at the sight, and hurriedly looked back across at Parker. Somehow it was easier to manage her feelings when Parker was nearby. Now she was alone with Booth she felt a strange excitement, and it made her uncomfortable. It wasn't as if either of them was about to declare their love, for goodness' sake; so why did she feel so tense?

They sat there in silence for a while, watching Parker play on the equipment. Brennan was struggling to think of something to say to Booth. Despite all the time they'd spent working together, she was starting to feel like he was a stranger to her. She'd been living in his apartment. She'd even picked out the clothes he was currently wearing. But she had no idea what he was thinking, or how he felt about her.

When Booth suggested he'd had enough and that perhaps they could head home, she felt relief, but also disappointment. It was the first time since Booth had been shot that she had been alone with him, and the time she'd spent among his things had made her miss him sharply. She tried to summon up the courage to tell him how much she had come to enjoy Parker's company, but the boy came running back as he noticed them stand up, and the moment was gone.

Parker refused to push his bike, so Booth held his hand while Brennan walked bent over, pushing the small bike along. Occasionally she would catch her ankle or shin on the pedal, and more than once she bit back a swear word. Booth offered to take over, but she still felt guilty about helping Parker ride his bike, and refused to relinquish control of the bike. Still, by the time they reached home Booth was definitely walking more slowly, and again he sank thankfully into his chair. Parker grabbed a storybook and jumped into his lap, leaving Brennan to stow the bike in the corner, and head to the kitchen to make coffee.

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_For those of you who are keeping check, there'll be more on the clothes in the next part. Don't forget to review :-)_


	12. Chapter 12 irritations

_Thanks for the reviews! I still don't own any of the characters, sadly, and I'm still not making any money out of this writing._

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Sometimes on vacation irritations can occur ..._**

**Saturday evening**

When Brennan came back with two steaming mugs of coffee, Booth and Parker were whispering together. Then Parker came over to her.

"Dr. Bones, can I sleep with you again tonight please?"

She looked at Booth in surprise. "I thought he was going to sleep with you."

"Yeah, well - to be honest, Bones, I don't think I'm going to sleep very well tonight, and I'd rather be able to move around without disturbing anyone. Would you mind?" He gave her the smile he knew she couldn't resist, and she found herself smiling back.

"No - I don't mind. As long as you're sure - it seems odd to be throwing you out of your own bed."

"You're not throwing me out, I'm going willingly, Bones." Booth stood up, leaning heavily on the arm of the couch with his good arm as he moved, and rubbed his face. "I'll just go and grab some things."

A couple of minutes later, Parker approached her. "Dr. Bones, can I have a cookie?" he asked.

"I'm just about to do dinner, sweetie," she answered. Parker scowled, and turned to his dad who was just walking back in the room.

"Daddy, can I have a cookie?"

"Okay, just one," Booth answered.

Brennan frowned at him. He noticed her look and frowned at her. "What?"

"I've just told him no, Booth, then you tell him yes. We're just about to eat."

Booth looked unconcerned. "He's my son, Bones. I'm allowed to decide whether he has a cookie or not."

"I know - but you're asking me to help take care of him, and then you're undermining what I say." Brennan was surprised at how bad she felt about this. She had hoped that she and Booth would take care of Parker together, but if he was going to let Parker get away with behavior like that, she was going to find it very difficult.

"Well, I said no to him taking his training wheels off, and you overruled me then," Booth pointed out.

"I did not..." She broke off as she realized that in effect, that was exactly what she had done. She looked thoughtfully at Parker, who was contentedly chewing on a cookie he'd fetched from the tin. She went back into the kitchen, putting the cookie tin away on a high shelf, then started thinking about food.

"I'll help, if you like."

She turned, to find Booth leaning in the doorway, watching her. She pushed her hair back behind her ears, self-consciously. "It's okay. It's all under control. You go and play with your son." Suddenly being alone with Booth was the last thing she wanted. Booth went away without another word, but she had a strange feeling he looked disappointed.

While she did the washing up, Booth took Parker through, helped him with his bath, tucked him into bed and read him a story. Brennan found herself leaving the washing up and creeping down the hallway to listen as Booth read. He stopped reading and stuck his head round the door at one point. "You can come in and listen properly, Bones," he said, amused. She blushed, but sneaked in and sat leaning against the bed to listen.

"I'm just learning how to do the voices properly," was her excuse.

Stories over, they both bent to kiss Parker goodnight and give him a hug, then left the room quietly. Booth offered to finish the drying up.

"You've got your arm in a sling, Booth. You're not meant to move it, remember."

"I can take it out for a few minutes, Bones. I'm quite capable of drying up some plates," he grumbled, but she refused his help and told him to sit and rest.

When all was put away tidily she went back into the living room and pulled out her laptop. It really was time she did some writing. She forced herself to think about how she had progressed on her novel.

Booth slipped his sneakers off and sat on the couch, twisted sideways to sit with his legs stretched out to the other end. He grinned as he saw her looking at his feet. "Good choice on the socks, Bones." He wiggled his toes as if to emphasize the point, and the skeleton feet on the socks moved accordingly.

She smiled, then tried to avoid thinking about what else she had picked out for him. Booth had transferred his usual belt to his jeans, she noticed, and wore his shirt hanging out, which was unusual for him. His left arm was inside the sleeve but then tucked inside a white sling to keep his shoulder immobilized. Round his neck, where his collar stood unfastened and open, she could see the glint of the silver chain she had seen him wearing before. As he stretched his right arm above his head, yawning, she caught a glimpse of well-toned stomach. He caught her glance and smirked at her. "And the rest of the clothes, of course. Parker got those boxers for me for Father's Day last year."

She looked down at her computer, steadfastly refusing to continue that train of thought. "I'm glad they were okay," she said. "I was imagining pulling out clothes that didn't fit, or something."

"Then I'd have to come home without wearing them." Was he flirting with her? She shook her head, refusing to continue the conversation, and turned back to her writing. Somehow, descriptions of her characters' underwear crept into her novel, and she highlighted the text and deleted it, irritated.

Booth picked up the remote and turned the TV on, flicking channels at random until she frowned at him.

"What's the matter, Bones?"

"I'm trying to concentrate, Booth. Please decide on something and watch it; flicking channels is just irritating and distracting, and far from achieving anything useful is just demonstrating that you feel you are in control of the TV; which you are, so it's a superfluous display of power."

He pulled a face, and settled for an old film. Brennan became absorbed in her work, and found the words starting to flow easier.

"Do you want some coffee?"

"What?" She looked up, confused. She had finally got into her writing and forgotten where she was, and was startled to remember that she was in Booth's apartment with him.

"I said, do you want some coffee?" Booth made as if to get up.

"Oh. No, thanks. I can't drink coffee in the evenings. It keeps me awake." She frowned, and turned back to her novel, trying to recover her train of thought.

"Oh, okay." Booth settled himself more comfortably.

She looked up, realizing how churlish she had sounded. "I'm not stopping you having one though."

"What? Oh, no, I don't feel like one."

"Then why did you offer?" She found irritation creeping into her voice.

"I just thought - never mind." Booth turned back to the TV, and Brennan turned back to her novel.

A few minutes later, Booth stood up and said something to her, but she was concentrating deeply and did not register what he said. It was only half an hour later when she finally finished her latest chapter that she realized Booth must have gone to bed. It was still fairly early, but he had looked tired all day, and she had a feeling his shoulder was bothering him more than he would admit. When she checked down the hallway Parker's bedroom door was tightly closed. She put her head round the door of Booth's room, just to check, and saw Parker sleeping peacefully on his own.

She went back to her writing, but her concentration had disappeared, and she found the words just would not flow. She tried watching TV, but again found it impossible to focus. Eventually she retired to bed herself, lying miserably in bed thinking about how different the day had been from what she had expected. She had hoped that she and Booth could have a good time caring for Parker and spending time together. Instead, all they had spent the afternoon and evening doing was bickering. And then she hadn't even noticed when he went to bed, or said goodnight to him.

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_Don't panic, the night isn't over yet ;-)_

_Please let me know what you think - I love getting reviews. _


	13. Chapter 13 midnight meeting

_I still don't own them, and I still don't make any money for this. And I still enjoy reading all your reviews :-)_

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_**_  
Disagreements are soon sorted out, however, and can lead to a sense of well-being..._**

**Saturday night**

Brennan woke up suddenly, startled. Something was wrong, she knew. She listened carefully for whatever sound had awoken her. She could hear the sound of Parker breathing steadily. Outside, she could hear the faint sound of traffic.

There! Someone was moving around! She jumped out of bed, being careful not to disturb Parker, grabbed the bathrobe from the back of the door and padded barefoot along the hallway. She could see the kitchen light was on, and crept up to the doorway to look in.

It was Booth. Of course; she mentally kicked herself. He had said he might not sleep too well. He turned and saw her, and smiled, looking pleased to see her. He was wearing dark blue pajama bottoms, she noticed, and was bare-chested; his left arm rested in its sling, the white dressing on his shoulder standing out starkly against his lightly tanned skin. She swallowed hard at the reminder of his injury.

"Hi, Bones, sorry, did I wake you?" He looked sympathetically across at her.

She shook her head. "I couldn't sleep." It was only half a lie; she had been asleep, but only the light sleep that was not much more than a doze.

"I couldn't either, so I thought I'd make myself some cocoa. Want some?"

Brennan nodded. "That would be great, thanks. But I'll make it."

"No, Bones, you've done enough for me over the past few days. Please let me do something around here before I go completely crazy."

She nodded reluctantly. "Are you sure you can manage?" She passed him another mug from the cupboard and as he took it from her she noticed his fingers were icy. "You're cold, Booth!"

"Yeah, well, I would have put my robe on, but I didn't think to pick it up earlier." He gave her an amused look, and she realized she was wearing his robe, and blushed.

"Sorry, I just grabbed the nearest - mine's buried in my bag, I forgot..." she babbled.

He laughed. "It's not a problem, Bones. It suits you."

Brennan hurriedly undid the belt and slipped the robe off her shoulders. She held it out to Booth, who slipped his good arm into the right sleeve. Then she draped it over his bad shoulder and arm and tied it round his waist. She stood back to admire the effect. "There, that looks better."

He looked her up and down, amused. "I'd have to agree."

That was when she realized she was standing in front of him in his kitchen, wearing nothing but her lacy nightdress. She hurriedly folded her arms across her chest. "Uh - I'll just go find my robe. I won't be long." She fled, hearing his soft laughter follow her along the hall.

A few minutes later she was back, this time wearing her light blue silk robe, which suddenly felt a lot less comfortable and warm than it used to. Booth had finished making the cocoa, and she carried the mugs through to the living room. Booth followed, shifting his arm slightly in its sling. Brennan put both mugs on the coffee table in front of the couch, and sat on one side, while Booth sat at the other. The remote lay on the middle seat between them.

"Does your shoulder hurt?" she asked sympathetically, and he nodded.

"I slept for a while, then woke up and couldn't drop off again. I'd been sleeping without the sling, but I think that was a mistake. I must have moved it wrong in my sleep," he admitted.

"Haven't you got any painkillers?" Brennan was concerned. If Booth was complaining about pain it must be bad.

"Yeah, but they make me drowsy." Booth thought that over for a minute. "Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing right now," he admitted with a laugh.

Brennan fetched his pills from his jacket pocket and a glass of water from the kitchen, then stood holding the glass while Booth tossed the pill into his mouth. "Thanks, Bones," he said, looking up at her over the top of the glass with the smile she loved.

She smiled back, and sat back down on the couch. "I'm sorry about earlier," she said. "I didn't even say goodnight."

"What? Oh, that's okay, Bones, you were concentrating. I shouldn't have kept distracting you."

"No - it's okay. The trouble was, it's the first time I've sat writing when really I would rather have been doing something else. That was what made me so grumpy."

Booth thought that over for a while. He didn't ask what she would rather have been doing, she noticed, but just smiled to himself.

She looked over at him. "There's something else, Booth - you do realize what Parker's doing, don't you?"

He looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"When you said no to the training wheels coming off - he asked me. And when I said no to a cookie, he asked you."

Booth thought about that for a minute, then laughed. "I think I see what you're getting at, Bones," he admitted. "'If you don't like the answer you get, ask someone else.'"

She nodded. "What sort of response does he usually get from you and Rebecca?"

Booth sobered up. "Exactly the response he's after from us, I guess," he admitted quietly. "We don't like saying no to him, and if we think the other one says no..." He stopped and considered that carefully.

"So if he asks you something in future, I'm going to take your side," Brennan told him firmly. "We can argue about it later, if necessary, but I don't think it's fair on him to teach him to play us against each other."

Booth nodded, his face thoughtful. "I see what you mean, Bones," he said. "I'll try to do the same. I promise."

He smiled at her, a smile of genuine pleasure at her company, and she felt her heart leap with delight. She told herself firmly that they would be sharing Parker's care for less than two more days, but that wasn't enough to dampen the feeling of contentment she felt, sitting on the couch next to Booth, both of them wearing nightclothes and robes. Only one thing was bothering her. "Booth?"

"Yeah?" He looked across at her, looking sleepy.

"Do you think I've put Parker off his bike for life?"

He laughed. "Kids are like that, Bones, don't you worry. He'll be right back in the saddle tomorrow. He'll get the hang of it soon. And maybe tomorrow I'll feel well enough to help."

They sat talking quietly about nothing in particular over the mugs of cocoa, then Brennan noticed Booth was nearly falling asleep where he sat. "Come on," she said, "I'll help you to bed." She put the mugs in the kitchen, then came back to help Booth to his feet. He walked slightly unsteadily down the hallway to Parker's room, and she turned on the light and helped him take his robe off and climb into bed.

"I'll leave the sling on," he said sleepily, settling himself half on his right side, his left arm held protectively across his chest.

"Good idea," she said, watching him with amusement as he shifted his head around on the Big Bird pillow to get comfortable, and tried to pull the duvet up around his shoulders. He was very nearly asleep already, and she sat on the edge of the bed to tuck him in properly, arranging the covers gently around his bad shoulder to stop it getting too cold.

She sat watching him for a while, listening to his breathing catch slightly and then settle into a peaceful, sleeping rhythm. She bent forward and kissed him gently on the forehead, her hair brushing his cheek. "Goodnight, Seeley," she whispered, just as she had tucked Parker into bed earlier that night.

Her hand was on the light switch when she heard him speak. "G'night Temp'rance." She looked back sharply, but his eyes were closed, and his breathing was regular. She smiled to herself, flicked the light switch off, and closed the door softly, before returning to her own bed and the sleeping Parker.

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_So all's well in the Booth household. But how long will it last? More fun and games coming up!_

_Please let me know what you think. I live for your comments :-) _


	14. Chapter 14 tempers flare

_You knew the peace couldn't last, didn't you? They just won't play nice together :-)_

_I still don't own them, and I'm still making no money from any of this. _

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_**_  
When you're spending too much time with other people, tempers can flare..._**

**Sunday morning**

Brennan was washed and dressed the next morning before anyone else was awake. She felt uncomfortable, knowing Booth was asleep in the next room, and blushed at the memory of standing in front of him in her nightdress the night before. She was determined to be up and dressed before he awoke this morning. When Parker woke up she sent him to play in the living room, warning him to be quiet and not wake his dad, then went to make coffee. She heard clattering noises, and put her head out of the kitchen door to see Parker staggering down the hallway from his bedroom, bashing a large box noisily against his legs as he walked. "I got my train set, Dr. Bones."

Brennan frowned at him, recognizing the box of train track from the shelf in Parker's room. "I thought I told you not to disturb your dad while he's asleep," she rebuked him.

"He's awake," Parker answered defiantly.

"I am now!" came Booth's voice down the hall. His door stood wide open, and Brennan put her head round it. Booth was still lying down, hardly moved from when she had last seen him. His hair was sticking up on end, and he looked adorably cute and sleepy. She tried to shake off the feeling that was starting to rise in her whenever she saw him.

"Sorry," she said. "I told Parker not to disturb you."

He just smiled. "Don't worry about it, Bones. I slept well in the end last night. I'm more than ready to get going for the day."

"Do you want some coffee?" she asked him.

"Oh, please, Bones, that'd be great."

She duly delivered a mug of coffee and he pulled himself up to a sitting position on the bed, running his hand through his hair in a vain attempt to flatten it down. She fought the temptation to sit and talk with him, and instead left him to his coffee and went to help Parker with his train set.

A short while later Booth appeared in the living room, again wearing pajama bottoms and robe, and his sling. He put his empty mug in the kitchen, then sat watching for a while as Brennan and Parker put the train set together. "You're not doing it right, Bones," he said. "Let me do it." He slipped down onto the floor and took the piece from Brennan's hand, saying something to Parker about track building being a man's job. Parker giggled and Brennan stood up, feeling left out, and went into the kitchen to get something to eat.

A short time later, the train set was built. Brennan had been watching from the kitchen doorway. "Okay, Parker, time for some breakfast," she said.

"Not yet," he answered, absorbed in watching the train move round the track. "Daddy, I don't have to have breakfast yet, do I?"

Brennan caught Booth's eye, and he grinned at her. "Come on, Parker, if Bones says it's time for breakfast, then it's time for breakfast," he told the boy. Parker's eyes opened wide, and he looked from one to the other as if confused.

"I'm just going for a wash," Booth told Brennan, and disappeared to the bathroom. Her visions of them sitting down at breakfast together faded.

Parker was tucking into Fruity Pebbles when Booth appeared again, this time wearing jeans but bare-chested. His hair had been tamed, he was freshly shaven, and he was carrying a shirt. "Bones, I'm sorry – could you help me get this on?"

"Of course." She helped him slip his bad arm into the shirt first, then held it for him to put his good arm through the sleeve. He bent his arm awkwardly to do up the buttons, and she moved to help him, then took a look at his face and decided it would be better not to.

"Can I ride my bike today, Daddy?"

"Ah..." Booth looked at Brennan.

She thought for a moment. "Maybe later, Parker. I really should do some writing this morning."

Parker scowled. "Please, Daddy," he said, turning to his dad.

Booth shook his head. "You heard Bones," he said. "We'll have to wait until she says we can."

"You can take me, can't you Daddy?" Parker persisted.

"I'm not allowed," he said. "We've got to wait until Bones says." He looked in the cupboard. "Hey, coco puffs – my favorite." Brennan passed him a bowl, and he sat down and started to tuck into the cereal dry.

"You're not allowed, Daddy," Parker said. "Dr. Bones says we've got to have milk on it."

Booth pulled a face and pretended to sulk. "Oh, all right then."

Brennan felt her irritation beginning to grow. "Booth, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked stiffly. He nodded, looking surprised, and followed her out of the kitchen.

"What's up?" He looked at her, puzzled.

She forced herself to remember she was annoyed with him. "Don't make me into the bad guy, Booth."

"What?" He looked confused. She wondered how he could possibly be unaware of what he was doing. "I'm backing you up, aren't I?"

"Yes, but –" She searched for the words to explain. "It's like you're agreeing with me, but telling him you'd rather agree with him. That makes it almost worse, Booth, because you're telling him I'm the enemy."

"That's not my intention, Bones." Now Booth sounded angry. "Look, I never said I was any good at this. I'm just not used to sharing Parker with anybody. I've always had sole charge of him before when he's been with me."

"Then I'd better stay out of your way," she snapped.

"No, Bones, please – I want us to work together. You just have to give me a chance to figure out how to do it. You're not used to kids; I'm not used to sharing my kid. We're going to make mistakes, Bones. Don't expect us to get it perfect first time."

She opened her mouth to snap at him again, when they both heard a loud crash coming from the kitchen. This was followed by an even more terrifying noise: complete silence.

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_As ever, comments welcome! I'll try to post the next part before I go away for the weekend, but I can't promise. Reviews might help me move updating up the list of priorities ;-)_


	15. Chapter 15 crisis

_Sorry, I tried uploading this before I went away, but the document manager insisted I was uploading an empty document and I didn't have time to argue..._

_I'm now back, and apart from the French essay which must take up my time tomorrow, I should soon be back into the swing of writing. Enjoy!

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_**_  
...but working together can avert a crisis._**

**Sunday morning (continued)**

The crash was followed by silence, and Booth and Brennan looked at each other, then both fled to the kitchen. Parker, still in pajamas, was sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor, surrounded by items from the cupboard, and his hand – Brennan gasped as she saw how Parker held out his right hand, which was dripping with blood. More blood was all over his chest and face, and spattered all over the floor.

Booth had reached the doorway first, but at the sight of his son he froze, and Brennan impatiently pushed him aside to get to the boy, who was sitting stunned into silence.

"Booth, do you have a first aid kit?" she asked. "Booth?"

Booth was still standing staring at his son, his face white with shock. It took him a few seconds to respond, and then he was moving carefully past to reach down a green box from a cupboard. "Here," he said. "Is it bad? How is he?"

Brennan frowned down at the child, who was starting to cry loudly. "I don't know..." she said, crouching by the boy and checking him over carefully.

Booth was starting to sound panicky. "Parker? Are you okay, Bub? What happened?" He knelt down beside them, and Brennan could see his hands shaking as he held out the first aid kit. Right now she had no time to be concerned for him; Parker's needs were more urgent. She would deal with Booth later.

She turned away from him anxiously, and looked closer at the boy, who was holding his hand stiffly away from him and howling loudly. She frowned, bent closer still, dipped her finger in the red, and then in her mouth. Then she started to laugh.

"Bones? What is it?" Booth sounded anxious. "Bones!"

She looked up at him and began to laugh. "It's not blood, Booth. It's ketchup!"

"What?" Booth looked more carefully, then tasted it for himself. Brennan indicated the shattered ketchup bottle lying next to Parker on the floor, among tins of food and the cookie tin. Parker sobbed loudly. "I only wanted a c-c-cookie!" he wailed.

Brennan pushed the boy towards Booth. "Go and clean your son up," she told him. "I'll clean up this mess."

"Thanks, Bones," he said gratefully, and helped the boy to his feet. She heard him scolding the boy gently as they headed towards the bathroom.

Brennan turned her attention to the mess on the kitchen floor and worked methodically, cleaning it all up and placing the broken pieces of glass carefully in the bin. By the time Parker and Booth reappeared in the doorway there was no sign in the kitchen of any damage, and Parker was clean and dressed.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Bones," Parker said, still sniffing.

She turned and gave him a small hug. "You gave us a fright," she told him tenderly. "And I think it's about time you started calling me by my proper name, instead of Dr. Bones."

"He can't say it, Bones," Booth told her. "I already tried. I said he could call you Dr. Bones."

She looked up at him thoughtfully for a moment, then at Parker. "Dr. Bones was okay when we didn't know each other very well," she told the boy. "But now we know each other a lot better, I think you need to call me something else. How about you calling me Tempe? Not many people are allowed to call me that, so you'll have a special name for me too just like your Dad."

Booth grinned approvingly, and Parker nodded. "Okay, Tempe," he said happily, and gave her a kiss and cuddle.

She was taken aback for a moment, unused to such a display of affection; then she returned the cuddle and kissed him gently on the cheek. "All better now?" Parker nodded.

"But his Dad could do with a coffee or something," Booth commented with a wry grin. "I'm sorry, Bones, I don't know what happened to me; I just froze."

"He's your son, Booth," Brennan pointed out. "I can't blame you for panicking when you think your son's badly hurt."

He nodded. "But still – I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been here. I'll make that coffee, shall I?"

She smiled gratefully. "That would be great."

She left the father and son in the kitchen and went to Booth's room – her room for the moment. She shut the door quietly, sat down on the bed, and putting her head in her hands, she began to cry softly. She had been convinced for a couple of minutes that Parker had been badly hurt, and that it had happened because she was too busy arguing with Booth to take care of him. She had reacted automatically to the emergency, but now her emotions had a chance to catch up with her brain, and she could no longer hold back the tears.

She heard the door open and hurriedly stood up and turned with her back to the door, but she felt Booth's hands on her shoulders, tenderly but persistently turning her round. She held herself stiff for a moment, then relinquished control and allowed herself to relax into his embrace, as he held her tight. "I'm sorry," she said through tears. "I was just so scared."

"I know, Bones," he soothed her, rubbing her back gently. "I was terrified myself, remember? At least you didn't freeze, like I did. You dealt with it, and you figured out it wasn't serious. If that had been just me – I'd have been rushing him to hospital." He laughed, and she drew back slightly and looked at him.

"You only froze for a second, Booth," she reassured him. "You'd have been okay."

"Yes, but I didn't have to be. I just remember feeling so grateful you were there, because we wouldn't have to do it alone."

They stood there for a moment, just holding each other, before Brennan pulled away, feeling suddenly uncomfortable at having Booth so close. "I hope he's not up to mischief again," she said with a small laugh.

"Don't worry, he's under strict instructions to play with his train set and nothing else," Booth assured her. "I think he got quite a scare as well."

He stroked her hair gently back from her face, and dried her eyes with his sleeve, smiling. She tried to avoid his steady gaze, but he put his hand under her chin and tilted her face to look at him. He bent slowly forward, and she held her breath, feeling her heart pounding in her chest. Was he going to kiss her?

"Dr. Bones, I mean Tempe, can I have a cookie now?" Suddenly Parker was in the room with them, and Booth pulled back and let go of her, turning away. Brennan finished the job of mopping up her tears, and nodded.

"I think we all need something sweet," she said. "Then let's go to the park, shall we? I think we need to work off some of your energy, young man."

Booth touched her arm. "I'll buy us all lunch," he offered.

She smiled. "It's a deal."

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_So near and yet so far, huh? Sorry again for leaving you over the weekend, and thanks for all the reviews._  



	16. Chapter 16 Sunday lunch

_Yay! Assignment out of the way! Here's a story chapter to celebrate. Then I can spend the evening in an orgy of writing!_**_

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Vacations can provide a time to get to know friends better..._**

**Sunday lunchtime**

Booth put his arm back in his sling and they headed out to the park again. This time Brennan was pleased to see that Booth was feeling well enough to help Parker. She had been concerned earlier when he had been so shocked at the sight of Parker apparently dripping with blood, but apart from still looking pale and tired he was soon almost back to his normal self.

She and Booth took it in turns to run across the grass with Parker. The first thing Booth had done was to make sure Parker could stop the bike safely and remember to put his foot down to prevent the bike from toppling over, and so there were no further tumbles and apart from the times when Parker got over cautious and put his foot down immediately after they let go of the bike, and he was beginning to balance for a few seconds at a time.

When Brennan saw Booth sinking down onto the nearest bench and rubbing his shoulder, she called a halt to the playtime, and they walked companionably back to Booth's apartment to leave the bike, before heading to a nearby restaurant Booth knew about called Jungle Jim's. Brennan was overwhelmed by the number of children in the place as they walked in, running between the tables or disappearing through a hole in some netting in the wall, which led to a ball pool and slide. Booth grinned at her. "Very child-friendly, here," he explained. "There's an area where the children can play while the adults talk."

They sat at a table between the counter and the play area and chose their food. Booth stood at the counter to place their order, and as he got his wallet out to pay Brennan saw him look inside for the money and then glance uneasily over at her. Her heart jumped in her chest. She remembered what she had half seen in his wallet, but had dismissed as probably not meaning anything. Now though, she knew from Booth's reaction that it was important. What's more, she could tell he knew that she had seen it. Booth turned his attention back to his wallet and finished paying for the food, then brought the drinks back to the table. Parker sucked happily at the straw in his coke bottle, while Brennan sipped at her orange juice, watching Booth over the top of the glass. He was playing with his beer, looking uneasily between her and Parker, and looked as though he was struggling for words.

She shook her head at him. "Later," she said. He nodded, still looking uncomfortable. Their food arrived, and Parker tucked in eagerly to his chicken and chips, while Booth struggled to cut up his steak and Brennan fought the urge to take over and do it for him. Her salad was pleasant enough, but she hardly tasted it as she thought about the past few days and what they had meant to her. She was enjoying feeling so close to Booth, but somehow it felt like stolen pleasure. The next day Booth was due for a hospital appointment that he hoped would give him the all-clear to use his shoulder again, and Parker would be going back to Rebecca. Then she would go back to being Dr. Temperance Brennan, forensic anthropologist, and he would go back to being an FBI Special Agent. Back to life as normal. But was that what she wanted? She wasn't sure anymore that it was even possible. She had the nagging feeling that over the past few days living with Booth and in his home had meant crossing a line; that their relationship had changed irrevocably. For the better? She hoped so, but the more they had invested in the relationship, the more they stood to lose if it went wrong.

Brennan did not realize how silent and occupied she had been until she noticed that Parker had already finished his food and disappeared to the play area, from where excited calls and screams came from various children of assorted sizes. Booth was watching her with amusement, and also a certain amount of trepidation.

As he saw her attention come back to him, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He took something out of it and placed it on the table, holding his hand over the top. She put her hand on top of his, preventing him from withdrawing it. "You don't have to explain yourself, Booth," she said gently.

He shook his head. "I know I don't," he replied. "But I want to. I don't know why, but I feel uncomfortable keeping secrets from you." He looked as though he was about to say more, but just shook his head, as if surprised by his own words. He turned his hand over and held hers, revealing a small card with the name Gamblers Anonymous on it, and a couple of phone numbers. Brennan looked at the card, then up at Booth. He was watching her, with an expression of mild amusement on his face. "You saw it before," he said.

She nodded. "When I took out the money for the food. I didn't want to pry, Booth. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." He sat silently for a moment, watching the children playing. One small child was throwing brightly colored balls at a larger boy, then howling as the larger boy threw one back, hitting him on the nose. "It started when I left the military. Life just wasn't exciting any more. It wasn't dangerous. The only way I felt alive was if I had something on the line. The bigger the bet, the better I felt - until I lost, of course."

She nodded, vaguely aware that he was still holding her hand, and considered his words carefully without saying anything. He gave her his sad smile, and then continued, "It got worse and worse, until it got to the point when I was about to lose everything. And I mean everything. I gambled my whole life on one poker game. I couldn't believe it when I actually won. I'd gambled with my life, and won. I took it as a sign that enough was enough, and I managed to pay off my debts and stop gambling."

She looked at him steadily, sensing there was more to come.

He nodded, although she had said nothing. "Until Rebecca got pregnant," he went on quietly. "I wanted her to marry me, but she wouldn't. I felt so out of control; something really significant was happening in my life and I had no control over it. So I started gambling again."

"Was your gambling the reason why she wouldn't marry you?" Brennan asked.

"Part of it. She suspected I had a problem. She said she didn't trust me. That made me feel so good I just had to go out and prove her right." His voice was bitter. "This time, Hank brought me to my senses. Remember Hank Lutrell?"

Brennan nodded, remembering Booth's friend in the wheelchair.

"He got me seeing straight, made me realize that I needed some kind of help. He sent me to GA. I still go to the meetings sometimes. Not all the time, but just occasionally, when things feel like they're spiraling out of control and I feel the urge." He gazed steadily at her, his brown eyes serious. "I haven't felt the urge since I met you."

They sat still for a long while, his words hanging heavily between them. Then he gave a small laugh. "Jeez, it feels like confession time," he commented. Brennan just shook her head, not knowing what to say to him.

She remembered something he had told her a long time ago, about opening up to each other to create trust. Booth had opened up a lot to her lately. She guessed it was her turn.

"Remember that TV interview I did?" she asked.

He looked surprised. "Which one? The one in LA or the one in DC?"

"The first one. The one where I said I didn't want children."

He nodded, remembering.

"I'm scared, Booth. There's so much evil in this world. So much that can go wrong. How could I consider bringing a child into a world like this?"

It was his turn to sit silently and listen.

"And yet - the time I've spent with Parker. He's so much fun, so innocent. Maybe it's only the presence of children like him that makes the world bearable at all."

Booth smiled. "He makes it all worthwhile, Bones. When I deal with something particularly nasty - I just want to hold him tight, and he'll hug me back, and it will all feel better."

"But children expect so much from their parents. How can you take the risk that you'll let him down?" She felt the tears build up in her eyes. She had never talked to anyone before about how she felt. She felt a longing for a child, yet was so scared of letting it down, of not being the parent her child would deserve; of letting it down and hurting it like her parents had done to her.

"All he asks of me is that I love him," Booth told her quietly. "And in loving him, I do the best I can for him. That's all any of us can ever do."

He squeezed her hand gently. "Changed your mind about not wanting kids?"

She thought carefully. "I don't think so," she said slowly. "I'm too focused on my career right now. And I'd have to find the right man to be the father." She thought for a moment, considering that remark, and then went on quickly, "I don't think I could bring up a child alone. But maybe, one day. Maybe it's not completely out of the question. It just that the idea scares me so."

He nodded, and squeezed her hand gently. "It scares me too, Bones," he admitted. "But Parker - he's the one it's all for. What's the point in trying to make this world better, if we're not doing it for the next generation?"

They sat watching the children playing for a moment. Brennan felt slightly uncomfortable that Booth still held her hand. She leaned forward slightly and picked the GA card up in her other hand. She held it out to Booth. "Thank you for telling me," she said.

He withdrew his hand and took the card from her, putting it back in his wallet. "I keep it in there so that every time I spend money I see it," he explained. "If I'm tempted to spend money for the wrong reason, the card is there to remind me of the pain I've been through, of the time I nearly lost everything."

Parker came running up. "Can I have some ice cream?" he demanded.

Brennan frowned at him. "Please may I have some ice cream?" she corrected him.

"Okay, you can have some too," he agreed equably.

"No, Bub, Bones is telling you how to ask properly," Booth chuckled. He made the boy repeat the request correctly, then looked at Brennan. "You know, I quite fancy the idea of ice cream myself. Did you want some?"

She thought for a moment. Right now, tucking into ice cream seemed a good idea. "Yes, please."

This time Booth pulled out his wallet and paid for the ice cream without hesitating, and Brennan found herself giving him a silly smile as he returned to the table. Somehow, she felt better for having told him how she really felt about children. She still didn't feel comfortable with the idea of having children of her own, but now she had the feeling that maybe, some day, she just might be ready to change her mind.

* * *

_I feel quite uncomfortable about the whole gambling thing, and just had to deal with it. I hope you feel I managed it okay._

_Please, let me know what you think. And now I'm planning to get a lot more writing done over the next few days :-) _


	17. Chapter 17 lazy Sunday afternoon

_I still don't own them. I'm still making no money, although I'm revelling in all the reviews!_

_We're on the home run on this story now.

* * *

_

_**Vacations provide an excuse to sit and relax...**_

**Lazy Sunday afternoon**

They went back to the apartment for the afternoon. Booth was starting to look distinctly uncomfortable, and Brennan suggested he take one of his pills, so once again she found herself holding a glass of water and handing him a pill to swallow. He pulled a face at the taste, finished off the water, then kicked off his shoes and put his feet up on the couch, wriggling his feet with pleasure. Brennan could not resist looking. He had his "horny little devil" socks on, with an evil looking face on them. He saw her look and grinned. "I was disappointed you didn't pick these ones out for me yesterday, Bones," he said, and she felt herself blush. Even so, she could not avoid the drift of her eyes, and he grinned even more broadly. "Red hot lover," he announced with glee. Brennan shook her head in despair and desperately wished the hot flush away from her cheeks. Booth just grinned at her, enjoying her discomfiture.

She pulled out her laptop and sat down in the chair, where she could keep an eye on Parker, who was pushing a train along the track that was still set out on the floor. Booth hit the remote and found a children's movie to watch, and when she next glanced across at him, she saw that he had closed his eyes and looked as though he was asleep.

A couple of hours later Brennan had managed to edit and revise part of her novel and had started to plan out the rest of the plot. Parker had broken up and reassembled his train track several times and was now building a lego bridge to put over the track. Booth finally stirred and woke, stretching and then wincing and rubbing his shoulder. "I keep forgetting," he said ruefully, as he caught her glance. "Still, I should be able to leave the sling off from tomorrow. It's a lot better than it was."

Brennan felt her heart sink at the mention of his appointment. She kept forgetting that there was such a tight timescale on this weekend. There was less than a day now until she had to go back to her normal life. Parker went over to Booth and whispered in his ear, and Booth smiled and nodded.

"Bones," he said, "Parker and I will cook dinner for you tonight, if you'd like."

"Oh, okay." Her pleasure at this gesture was moderated by the thought that it showed she would not be needed for much longer. Booth and Parker disappeared to the kitchen, and she tried to concentrate on her writing and ignore the noises coming from the kitchen. An hour later she was called through. Parker had set the table up with a lacy tablecloth and candles, and it looked very attractive, almost romantic, apart from the third place at the table. He looked proud of himself, and she complimented him on his table laying skills.

"Sit down, Bones," Booth ordered. She sat, and he poured her a drink. "Only lemonade, I'm afraid," he said with a smile. He had slipped his sling off while he worked, and now he produced plates of food, pulling a face as he carried one in his bad arm. "Beef lasagna. Parker loves helping me make this."

The food looked good, and Brennan congratulated the chefs. Parker beamed. "I like cooking," he said proudly. "Mummy lets me help her cook meals for her boyfriend, but we couldn't cook lasagna for Tessa 'cos she's a vegetable."

Booth cleared his throat, fighting back a grin. "That's _vegetarian_, Parker," he corrected his son.

Parker shrugged, not knowing or caring about the difference between the two words. Brennan could not prevent a broad grin spreading across her face, and as she caught Booth's eye they both tried their hardest not to laugh.

"Tessa's not your girlfriend any more, is she, Daddy?" Parker inquired as he shook Parmesan onto his lasagna.

"No, son, she isn't." Booth suddenly seemed a little wary of where the conversation was going, and Brennan sympathized with him.

"Is Tempe your girlfriend instead?"

There was a sudden silence. Brennan held her breath, wondering just how Booth was going to answer that. She stared down at her plate, not daring to catch his eye. What did she want the answer to be?

"Ah, no, not exactly..." Booth mumbled, obviously not sure himself how to answer the question.

"But she's a lady, and she's your friend, so that makes her your girlfriend, doesn't it?" Parker persisted, seemingly unaware of how uncomfortable the adults around him felt.

"It's not quite as simple as that," Booth answered awkwardly.

"But why?"

"Parker, just eat your dinner, okay? We'll talk about it later." Booth began eating, and Brennan followed his example, encouraging Parker to talk about his bike instead. Parker was not easily distracted, but eventually the taste of his food and the determination of the adults to change the subject were enough to keep him off the topic of girlfriends.

Later, when Booth went to put Parker to bed, Brennan found herself creeping down the hallway again to listen, but this time she was hoping that she would hear more than a story. Her eavesdropping was rewarded when she heard Parker say, "But why isn't Tempe your girlfriend, Daddy?"

"It's complicated," she heard Booth sigh.

"But if you love her, Daddy..."

"Yeah, but I don't think she loves me, Bub, or if she does she's not willing to admit it. So we're just good friends. Maybe one day she'll feel she wants something more. Until then, there's nothing I can do. And you asking about it doesn't help, okay?"

"Okay." Parker sighed, and then she heard the turning of pages, and guessed Booth was looking for the start of the story in Parker's book. She crept back to the living room, and started putting the train track and lego back in their respective boxes, thinking deeply. Did he love her? And how did she really feel about him?

* * *

_Please let me know what you think - comments always welcome!_  



	18. Chapter 18 Sunday night movies

_Wow, I thought the site had broken completely there! Back in action now though..._

_I still don't own anything to do with Bones, and I'm still making no money out of this. It's purely for my entertainment and for yours._

_

* * *

_

**_Movies can provide entertainment during the long evenings on vacation..._**

**Sunday night movies**

Brennan was so absorbed in her thoughts about their relationship and where it was going that she was taken by surprise when Booth re-entered the room. He knelt to help her, and she stiffened at the feel of him so close to her. His words still rang in her ears, and she still had not worked out what they meant, or what she should do about it.

"Bones?"

She turned to him, shocked to realize that he had spoken to her and she hadn't taken it in.

"I said, are you up for a movie tonight?" Booth put his head on one side, trying to charm her into saying yes.

"What movie?"

"I don't know." Booth indicated the shelf full of DVDs. "I'm sure I've got something you might enjoy. It's about time we widened your knowledge of pop culture."

Brennan wondered for a moment whether she should refuse. She could claim she needed to do more writing. She could make some other excuse. But she admitted to herself that right now she really liked the idea of sitting with Booth and enjoying a movie with him. She nodded and smiled, telling herself that there was nothing wrong with watching a movie with a friend. Because that was all it was, wasn't it?

Booth beamed and strolled over to the shelf. He ran his finger along the backs of the DVD cases, considering carefully. Finally he put his finger on the top of one of the cases and pulled it out. "Here we go; Pirates of the Caribbean. It's got skeletons in it, Bones. You'll like it."

She smiled, bemused, and sat on one end of the couch. Booth knelt to put the DVD in the machine, then went to the kitchen to fetch them a glass of lemonade each. When he returned he placed the drinks on the coffee table, then sat down on the middle seat of the couch so he could reach his glass with his good arm. He still wore no sling. Brennan thought of offering to trade places with him, but decided she preferred feeling him so close. Their thighs were nearly touching, as he leaned forward to grab the controls and start the movie.

Brennan sat back comfortably and began to enjoy the scenes unfolding in front of her. When the pirates turned up to attack the port, she leaned forward to watch more closely. "But why aren't they getting hurt?" she demanded. "That's not realistic."

Booth just laughed. "Keep watching, Bones," he advised, reaching for his drink. Brennan took his advice, then gasped as the truth about the pirates was revealed, when moonlight showed them for the skeletons they really were.

"Fascinating," she breathed, leaning forward for a closer look. "They've done that fairly well. The articulation is a little strange, and they're not quite as accurate as they could be..."

Booth nudged her gently with his shoulder. "Bones," he said in a warning voice. "It's entertainment. You're not meant to judge whether it's anatomically correct."

She tried to look apologetic, and sat back again, wriggling to get comfortable. Booth seemed to have shifted over on the seat slightly, leaving her less room, but she did not feel like complaining. Instead she tried her best to relax and enjoy the movie, despite the distraction he threatened to provide. When Will Turner declared his determination to rescue Elizabeth, she smiled, remembering how determined Booth had been to rescue her from Kenton. She was beginning to suspect that both Will Turner and Booth were motivated by more than pure altruism.

"I told you you'd enjoy it," Booth said with a smile, giving her knee a gentle squeeze before reaching for his drink.

She found herself smiling back at him. "It's fun," she admitted. She was enjoying the movie, and she was enjoying even more Booth's close presence. His thigh rested against hers, and she felt the warmth of his arm through her sleeve. She was disappointed when the movie ended.

"I'll take you to see the next one, if you like," Booth offered. She looked at him, confused. "Pirates of the Caribbean. The second movie is out now. Would you like to go?"

"Sure." The words came out before she had time to consider. What the hell was she playing at? Tomorrow morning she would have to return to work, and would have to get back to a normal working relationship with Booth. A small voice nagged at her that perhaps that would not be necessary, but she refused to listen to it. Taking her relationship with Booth any further than friendship was a course that could prove very unwise. The small voice whispered that perhaps it was too late. Perhaps that line had already been crossed. Perhaps there was no going back, and in that case forward was the only direction. She stood up abruptly.

"I'm really tired, Booth. I think I'll go to bed, if that's okay?"

He shook his head. "Of course, but is everything all right?"

She nodded, not daring to speak, suddenly feeling overwhelmed by his closeness. He stood up too. He was standing far too close to her, but she could not make herself step away. Instead she looked at his shoulder, and touched it gently. "How's it feeling?"

Booth moved his arm around experimentally. "It's still a little sore, but I'm starting to get a little more movement in it. I was stupid. I just wasn't expecting the guy to be where he was, and I paid the price."

She had not heard from him before about exactly how he had been shot. She pushed her bottom lip out in a sympathetic expression, feeling sorry for him having been injured and at the same time grateful for the time it had given them together.

Booth put his hands on her shoulders, and looked straight at her. "I'm really grateful for all you done for us this weekend, Bones. I don't know what we would have done without you."

She shook her head, feeling awkward. "You'd have managed, somehow, Booth. I'm just glad I could help."

She felt transfixed, unable to move, and not sure whether she wanted to. Then he moved forward and kissed her gently on the lips, and she jumped backwards as if he had slapped her.

"I'm sorry, Bones," he apologized at once, and turned away. "I shouldn't have done that. It's late, I'm tired. I'm sorry. Forget I did it. I'll see you in the morning." He disappeared into Parker's room and shut the door harder than necessary, leaving Brennan standing in the middle of the living room, her lips on fire and her mind stunned.

* * *

_I guess Brennan was taken by surprise by that. Trouble is, so was I! I had things all planned out, that they would have their first kiss on Monday night, then Booth goes and pre-empts me! I knew I was asking for trouble just following Brennan and letting Booth do what he liked._

_Now the question is, does Brennan leave it for the night, or does she go after him? I think I know..._

_In case you're wondering, this story is scheduled to end Monday night, after Parker has gone home. There might or might not be a sequel, it depends on whether the characters behave themselves or not..._

_Please let me know what you think of this part! _


	19. Chapter 19 conversations

_Apologies for the delay - let's find out what Brennan's decision is, shall we?_

* * *

**_Vacations are an opportunity to get to know each other better..._**

**Sunday Night **_  
_

Brennan stood stunned, as Booth disappeared. Oh hell. What was she to do now? She could go after him. Or she could do as he said, and forget it ever happened. 

Logically, she should go to bed, and leave things until the morning. They were both tired, and they had both been far too close this weekend. If things were ever to get back to normal between her and Booth, she had to make space for them both to recover. She headed down the hallway to her bedroom door, but stopped when she reached the door to Parker's room, where Booth had disappeared to. Was back to normal really what she wanted?

If there was one thing that frightened her more than the thought of losing someone she loved, it was the fear of not knowing what would happen. She had lived with uncertainty about her parents for half her life. The thought of spending the rest of her life wondering what would have happened if she had gone after Booth was unbearable.

Yes, having a close relationship with him as well as working with him could be problematic, but that was not absolutely certain. Walking away now and pretending none of this had ever happened could be far more problematic. They had crossed the line, and the only thing to do now was to follow the path to the end, and find out where it went.

She hesitated, then opened the door without knocking.

Booth had been standing gazing out of the window at the dark street. He turned abruptly when he heard her enter. "I told you to forget it," he said roughly. "I was out of order. I know."

She moved closer to him. "What if I don't want to forget?" she said softly. He looked at her questioningly, his head on one side, and she bit back a smile at how cute he looked. "We've gone too far, Booth," she said. "We've crossed the line. We can't pretend any of this never happened. I don't want it not to have happened. I don't think you do either."

He shook his head. "I don't want to push you, Bones," he said. "If you're not ready..."

"I'm not ready to give up on us before we've even started," she retorted. "The logical thing to do is to see if this relationship can go anywhere. Angela keeps telling me we should, and you seem to feel attracted to me, so logically..."

"What about you?" he interrupted. "How do you feel about me?"

She looked at him for a long time, considering. "I don't know. I enjoy your company. I don't want to go back to just seeing you when we're working on a case. I'm not sure I'm ready for anything serious..."

"I can live with that, for now at least," he mused, and coming closer, he reached out and touched her cheek gently. "Are you sure?"

"If you keep asking that, I'll change my mind," she said tartly, and he smiled and bent his head very slightly to kiss her gently on the lips. She hesitated at the unfamiliar touch, then put her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, and she felt her knees weaken slightly at the touch of his lips. He held her tight, and she melted into his arms. They sank down onto the nearby bed, and it was a long time before either of them came up for air.

They lay on the bed for a while, holding each other and kissing. Brennan did not feel confident enough to suggest they went any further, and she was also acutely aware of Parker, who was supposedly asleep in the next room, but who had shown before an uncanny ability to appear at the oddest moments. Eventually, she pulled away and sat up. "I'd better go to bed," she said, rather breathlessly.

Booth stroked her hair, trying to persuade her to lie down again. "You're already in bed," he pointed out.

"No, Booth - I'm not ready for that yet. Let's take things slowly, okay? You're tired, and your shoulder is still hurting you, I can tell, and I really don't want to go any further while Parker's around. I'll see you in the morning."

He stuck out his bottom lip, pretending to sulk, and she just had to kiss him one more time. Then, finally, she dragged herself away and headed to bed, leaving Booth lying on the bed watching after her.

* * *

The next morning, Brennan was the last to waken. She roused out of a deep sleep, to find Booth standing over her grinning. "Come on, sleepyhead, it's time to get up," he greeted her. She groaned and threw her pillow at him, and he chuckled and sat down beside her on the bed. 

"It's just turned eight, and my hospital appointment is at 9.30," he announced.

She looked at the other side of the bed. "Where's Parker?" she asked, sitting up in a rush.

"It's okay, he's eating breakfast," Booth reassured her. "How are you this morning?"

"Not regretting last night, if that's what you mean," she answered with a sleepy smile. She held out her arms to Booth, and he leant forward to give her a kiss and a hug.

"I've brought you a coffee," he said, as he straightened up slightly. "I'll sort Parker out, if you want to get yourself up soon."

"Okay." She could not resist giving him one last hug and kiss before allowing him to leave the room.

"Daddy?" They both jumped apart at Parker's voice from the doorway.

"Hiya," Booth greeted him cheerfully, trying to hide his embarrassment. "Have you eaten breakfast? I'm just coming."

Parker just gave a triumphant yell. "Daddy's kissing Tempe, Daddy's kissing Tempe," he chanted. "Daddy, does this mean Tempe's your girlfriend now?"

Booth looked down at Brennan, who grinned back at him ruefully.

"I guess it does," Booth answered his son with a broad smile, while beside him Brennan wriggled in delight at the thought.

* * *

_Well, they're together! Hope you enjoyed this part - why not let me know? Just another couple of parts to this one now, I think.  
_


	20. Chapter 20 appointments

_I don't own any of the characters, and I'm not making any money out of this. There are probably two more parts after this one.

* * *

_**_  
Some events will not wait, even on vacation...  
_  
Monday morning**

Brennan drove the SUV to the hospital, thinking of the first time she had driven on that route with Parker in the back. A lot had changed since then. She knew Parker a lot better, had learnt to enjoy his company, and had also got to know Booth a lot better. Parker was to return to his mom that evening, but she was sure now she would have other opportunities to spend time with him and Booth.

As for Booth - she thought of what had happened the previous evening. She had acted on impulse, something Angela was always telling her she should do more of. So far, it seemed like the gamble was working. She and Booth had not had much time to themselves so far that morning, but once Parker was no longer around, that would change. She always enjoyed spending time with Booth, but now an extra dimension had been added, and she felt her body respond to the thought of Booth holding her and kissing her.

Beside her, Booth sat with his arm back in the sling for now. "What are you thinking about?" he asked.

She realised she was grinning, and forced her face straight. "Nothing in particular," she hedged.

He laughed, and slipped his arm out of the sling, placing his hand on her thigh. Taken by surprise, Brennan swerved slightly, then straightened up. She placed her hand on top of his, and squeezed gently, feeling him squeeze back.

"Daddy, when will we be there?" Parker asked from his seat in the back, and Booth withdrew his hand, leaving Brennan's leg feeling strangely cold and bare.

"Nearly there, Bub," Booth reassured his son cheerfully, then turned back to Brennan. "You were thinking about me, weren't you?" he teased.

"I was thinking about us," she admitted. Booth sat back in his seat with a sigh, and she glanced across in irritation. "What?"

"Us," said Booth thoughtfully. "I like the sound of that. I like it that there's an us to think about."

"Well, right now there's a little boy in the back to think about, too," she said warningly, and Booth nodded.

"Warning received," he said, placing his arm back in its sling, and they continued the rest of the way with casual talk.

Booth did not have to wait long for his appointment, and was soon out again, this time with no sling. Parker ran up to him. "Is your shoulder better now, Daddy?"

Booth bent to pick him up, still doing most of the lifting with his right arm. "Mostly, son," he answered cheerfully. "Let's head out, shall we?"

"I need to call in to work this morning," Brennan told him. "I just had a phone call from Zack, I need to go through some stuff with him."

Booth nodded, looking disappointed.

"Tell you what," she said, trying to cheer him up. "We usually all go to Wong Foo's for lunch on a Monday. You could join us. Both of you," she added, looking down at Parker.

Booth brightened up. "That sounds a great idea," he said. "Huh, Bub?" Parker nodded eagerly.

"We don't go until 12.30," Brennan said, looking at her watch to discover it was turned 10am. "I don't know if you want to drop me off then come back, or...?"

Booth shrugged. "I'll take Parker around the museum," he suggested. "He's never been round it, and I haven't been round it for years, despite going there so often."

They drove to the Jeffersonian, and Brennan parked Booth's car next to her own, which had been sitting neglected all weekend. They walked together towards the lab.

"Let's not tell Angela just yet," Brennan suggested as they walked towards the sliding doors. "I'm dreading the teasing that will follow."

Booth looked about to say something, then shrugged and nodded. "If that's what you want," he said. Brennan hesitated. Booth was obviously disappointed that she wanted to keep their relationship a secret. Should they say something to Angela? After all, she was her best friend. But she had not got used to the idea herself yet. She just needed some time to adjust to the idea of a relationship with Booth before making it public.

"Hi, guys," Angela greeted them as they walked through the doors. "Booth, it's good to see you. How's the shoulder?"

Booth moved his arm experimentally. "A little sore still," he admitted. "But nearly recovered. I'm off work for the rest of the week though."

"And you! How's my man?" Angela bent down to Parker, who gave her a big hug.

"I'm great, and I can nearly ride my bike," he announced.

"Wow!" Angela sounded suitably impressed.

"And Tempe's been sleeping in Daddy's bed, and I saw them kissing!" Parker finished off, making his eyes go wide and looking so cute Brennan couldn't decide whether she wanted to hug him or strangle him.

"Oh yes?" Angela's own eyes were wide as she looked up to see Brennan desperately trying not to blush, while Booth tried to hush his son.

"You know how it is," Booth said hurriedly. "Kids, they get things all confused... Bones slept in my bed with Parker, while I slept in Parker's bed, didn't I, Bub?" He crouched down by his son, trying to distract him. "I'll take him round the museum then. 12.30, you said? We'll be back then. Bye!" And he took his son by the hand and walked him rapidly through the sliding doors and out towards the main museum, leaving Brennan to face Angela on her own.

"So that explains the daddy's bed part," Angela commented in amusement. "And the kissing?"

She stood looking, as Brennan struggled to find words to answer her.

"You're kidding! You didn't! You're not...!"

Now Angela seemed lost for words as well. Then she grabbed Brennan by the arm and almost dragged her into her office, away from Zack and Hodgins who had noticed her arrival and were approaching fast. "You've got some explaining to do, Bren!"

* * *

_Please let me know what you think of the story!_


	21. Chapter 21 working

_I don't own any of the characters, and I'm not making any money. _

_Thanks for all your comments so far!_

**_

* * *

_**

**_Sometimes you even have to work during a vacation..._**

**Chapter 21 working**

As soon as Booth and Parker had disappeared through the sliding doors Angela grabbed Brennan's hand and took her along the lab to her office. Brennan slipped her jacket off her shoulders and hung it up on the coatstand behind her desk, avoiding Angela's impatient gaze.

Finally she turned round, wondering optimistically for a moment whether Angela had left, but there she sat, an eager smile on her face, waiting to hear all about Brennan's weekend.

"Well, Sweetie? I gather you had a good time with Booth?" Angela's face was impatient, and Brennan sighed, and perched on the edge of her desk.

"I've been looking after Parker and Booth all weekend. Parker's been learning to ride his bike, and he can nearly do it." If Brennan hoped that this would be enough to satisfy Angela, she was wrong.

"And kissing Booth? What happened, Bren?"

Brennan tucked her hair behind her ears. "Well – that's it. You know what happened."

"You kissed him?"

"Well, strictly speaking, he kissed me."

"And what did you do? Don't tell me you ran away, please. I couldn't bear it!" Angela's eyes lit up with glee.

Her hesitation had Angela turning an impatient circle on the spot. "How could you, Bren? That guy is so hot, and you care for him, I know you do. How could you blow it like that?"

Brennan wondered whether to leave Angela in the dark, but decided to take pity on her. "I did go after him," she admitted.

"And?"

"And we kissed again."

"And?"

"There is no more 'and'. His shoulder still hurts, Angela. And we had a small boy in the house. What did you expect us to do, make mad passionate love on the coffee table?"

"Mad passionate love? Oh, yeah, that would be good."

"In your dreams, Angela. Now, I have work to do." She neatly avoided further questioning by slipping her blue lab coat on and going in search of Zack.

As she bent over the lab table, examining the pieces of bone as Zack handed them to her, she caught occasional sight of Angela from the corner of her eye. Angela was obviously eaten up with curiosity, but had to content herself with a few cryptic comments. She appeared consoled by the thought of Booth joining them for lunch though, and Brennan decided she'd better warn Booth to be prepared for a cross-examination worthy of a courtroom.

At exactly 12.30 the sliding doors opened and Booth and Parker entered. The little boy was holding his dad's hand and chattering excitedly to him. When the team of squints approached them, Parker began to tell them what they had been up to. "I touched a piece of moonrock, and we saw some real pirate bones!"

Hodgins bent down to the boy's eye level. "Did your dad tell you I was the one who found those bones?"

"Wow!" Parker was impressed. Brennan smiled in amusement as she caught Booth's eye. He raised his eyebrows in a question, and she fought back a grin as she shook her head slightly and glanced over to Angela.

Zack pulled off his labcoat and left it on the back of his chair. "Food!" he said eagerly, and Parker laughed in delight. He ran over to Zack, who picked him up and gave him a cheerful hug.

They walked together to the parking lot, then Angela and Zack squeezed into Hodgin's car, while Brennan went with Booth and Parker. Booth let her drive again, which Angela acknowledged with a raised eyebrow and knowing smile. Brennan pretended not to notice.

When they reached Wong Foo's they walked into the restaurant together. Booth took a seat between Parker and Brennan, and they amused themselves during the meal by holding hands under the table, where no-one could see. Angela kept looking at them suspiciously, and made a few attempts to fish for information, but Booth proved to be even better at avoiding her questions than Brennan was, and she sat back to watch him in admiration. Then she realised Angela had turned her attention to her, and she sat up and focused intently on her meal.

Booth seemed to enjoy the company of the squints, a fact that pleased Brennan intensely, and Hodgins and Zack between them kept Parker entertained throughout the meal, although one or two of the jokes Hodgins told him seemed to go over his head rather – a fact Brennan was heartily grateful for.

Eventually the meal was over and they walked slowly back to the car. "I'd better drop you back at the lab," Booth said regretfully.

Brennan nodded. "My car's there, so I'll be okay," she said, desperately trying to think of an excuse to stay with Booth longer.

It seemed like Booth didn't want to say goodbye either, because he sat in the car for a long time before starting the engine.

"What are you two doing this afternoon?" Brennan asked in the end.

Booth shook his head and shrugged, then winced as the pain in his shoulder bit. "I guess we'll head down the park, huh Bub?" he said, turning to look at Parker through the gap in the seats.

Parker nodded eagerly. "With my bike!" he yelled.

Booth nodded. "So the park it is," he said, giving Brennan the smile that melted her heart. "Do you want to come round later?"

She smiled at him. "That would be great," she said, and he finally started the engine.

They drove back to the lab in silence apart from Parker's cheerful chatter from the back of the car, and when Booth pulled up in front of the entrance to drop her off, Brennan sat for a moment, hesitating, before Booth undid his seatbelt and turned towards her. She leaned forward to kiss him goodbye, and it was at that moment that she noticed the squints had stopped to talk to Dr. Goodman outside the main entrance, and were looking across at the car and had seen them kiss.

Brennan froze for a moment, felt Booth's confusion, then she realized their secret was irrevokably out, and in a moment of daring she placed her arms around his neck and pulled him closer for a hug and a passionate kiss.

Booth hugged and kissed her in return, and she felt him smile quizzically. "That was nice," he said, as he pulled back, then followed her glance. "Oh, I see. I didn't realise we had an audience. Sorry."

Brennan shrugged. "I guess the cat's out of the handbag," she said cheerfully, and he laughed at her. "Just a bag, Bones," he corrected her, then shook his head at her grin. "But you know that, of course. Sometimes I swear you only live to wind me up."

Brennan pretended to look him all over. "Where's your key then?" she asked, and Booth chuckled.

"Maybe I'll let you take a good look tonight," he said with a mischievous expression on his face. At that, Brennan finally, reluctantly, said goodbye to Parker and climbed out of the SUV to face the reactions of her colleagues and her boss.

* * *

_One more part to go, I think. Then there'll be a sort of sequel, which will follow the relationship as it's now been established, but be a casefile as well. I'm off to research it next week, so this one needs to be finished by the weekend._

_Please let me know what you think! _


	22. Chapter 22 escape

_They still don't belong to me, although I've had a tremendous amount of fun playing with them! I've really been enjoying reading all your reviews - so much so, that the total number of reviews crept up on me unawares! Wow, I'm stunned! I'm glad to hear you've been enjoying the story. Sorry, but it has to end, and prove it here's the final part.

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_

_**Sometimes, a vacation can be so much hard work that we're left feeling the only thing we need is a vacation to get over the first one! **_

**Chapter 22 escape  
**

Brennan had to endure comments and looks from the rest of her team as she headed back into the lab. She ignored them for a moment and turned to watch Booth drive away. She felt suddenly empty, as if an important part of her was missing. The sensation was uncomfortable, but also strangely pleasant. Uncomfortable, because she was already missing Booth dreadfully. Pleasant, because she knew how good it would feel when she saw him again.

Angela seemed to be stunned into silence as they stood in the elevator. Dr. Goodman had disappeared in a different direction as soon as they entered the building. Hodgins contented himself with sending cryptic glances in Brennan's direction. Only Zack chattered on as usual, talking about the case they were working on, a set of skeletons from the civil war.

Brennan decided to continue as if nothing had happened, and had managed to bury herself completely in her work when she was summoned to the phone. The conversation she had left her with the feeling that life was going to get either very pleasant or very unpleasant in the very near future. Feeling almost nervous, she knocked on the door to Dr. Goodman's office and asked to speak with him.

Ten minutes later, she left the office, bade a hasty goodbye to the others and almost ran down to her car, feeling like a kid let out of school early.

- - - - -

Booth's apartment was empty, although his car still stood in its allotted place. Brennan parked in the visitor's space and walked to the park. When she reached the grassy area, she thought at first that Booth and Parker were not there, but after looking around for a few moments and debating whether to ring him, she spotted a familiar blue and white bike with a large hooter near the playground. She hurried over to them, and found Booth pushing Parker on a swing. Parker saw her first, dragged his feet on the ground to slow himself, slipped off the swing and came running over to her. She bent to give him a squeeze, then looked up at Booth, who had followed more slowly.

"Hi, Bones, what are you doing here?" He sounded pleased to see her.

"I – ah – arranged for the afternoon off. I wanted to see Parker master his bike."

"Yay!" yelled Parker, and went to grab his bike.

For the moment, Brennan concentrated on Parker, feeling Booth's presence close by and feeling comforted by it, but without needing to pay much attention to it. He, too, seemed content to help his son with riding.

Parker had nearly got the balance on his bike, and Brennan was delighted when for the first time Parker passed her, rode further along the path, then turned round all by himself and rode back in a large circle. Booth jogged up to her, and put his arms round her, swinging her round in pleasure, and they both laughed to see Parker riding happily around.

From this point onwards, Parker was content to ride his bike to and fro along the path, while Brennan sat on the bench cuddled up to Booth watching him. She felt Booth's chest move with his steady breathing against her back, and felt perfectly at peace. She felt almost disappointed when Booth said it was time to go. They walked back to his apartment, watching Parker wheel his bike just ahead of them, and still she had not summoned up the courage to pose the question she wanted to ask.

Brennan packed Parker's clothes back into his bag, making sure that Baba was tucked in safely, while Booth lifted the bike into the back of the SUV. Then they all got into the car and drove Parker home.

Brennan watched with interest as Booth rang the doorbell on a small, neat house on the corner of a block. She saw Rebecca open the door and bend to greet Parker with a hug. Booth she seemed to treat more coolly, hardly looking at him as she took the bag. Booth fetched the bike and wheeled it to the door, and from Parker's arm movements she guessed he was telling her about riding his bike round the park. Then Parker waved his arm in her direction, and Rebecca looked over to the car and waved. "Thanks for helping out," Brennan heard her say. Parker went indoors with his bike, Rebecca carried the bag in, and the door was shut firmly.

Booth came back to the car and opened the door. He climbed into his seat, put the keys in the ignition, then turned to look at her. "Do you want to go have dinner somewhere?" he asked.

Brennan nodded. "Yeah, sure. That would be great."

They headed for an Italian restaurant Booth knew, and as they ordered food, Brennan realized that she felt like she was getting to know Booth all over again. First she had come to know him as a colleague and partner. Then over the weekend she had got to know him as a father. Now she was starting to get to know him as a boyfriend.

She thought again about what she was planning to suggest. Would Booth like the idea? She studied him surreptitiously over her glass of wine. He noticed her watching, and grinned self consciously. She told herself off fiercely. This was Booth. Why should she be afraid?

She thought of how she had felt that afternoon as she had watched him drive away. That was why she was afraid. They had been together as a couple for less than twenty four hours, and already she was terrified of losing him.

As if he had read her thoughts, he held his hand to her over the table, and she took it in hers, rubbing the back of it gently, feeling the strong bones under the softer flesh.

"It's okay, Bones," he said softly. "We can take this as slowly as you like. There's no rush."

She thought about that for a moment, then pouted. "Actually, I was thinking of asking you to go away with me for the weekend," she said, then enjoyed the expression on his face.

"You were?" he asked, bemused.

She nodded. "My agent rang today. The French translation of my book has just been released, and she wants me to go to France for a few days to promote it."

"France?" Booth looked surprised. He frowned, then nodded. "I could do that, I think. I'm off for a few more days anyway, with my shoulder, and I'm due some vacation time."

"I'm scheduled to visit a few bookstores, in different towns, to do book signings, and they want to do a couple of TV interviews, but apart from that I'll be free to do what I like," Brennan explained. "I'd really like you to come with me, Booth."

Booth held her hand tightly. "I'd be honored to come with you," he said.

He drove her back to his place, and they both got out. She stood by her car, and Booth stood close. "You're welcome to come in for coffee if you'd like," he said, turning on his charm smile.

Brennan shook her head. "No, thanks, Booth. I really need to get home. I skipped out of work today on the promise that I make a really early start tomorrow, and I desperately need a good night's sleep in my own bed, then a couple of days' hard work if I'm going to go away Thursday. I've really enjoyed this weekend, Booth. Thanks for letting me share Parker for the weekend, it's been good."

Booth grinned. "You can help me out anytime, Bones," he said cheerfully. Then, more seriously, he looked at her. "Are you sure you want me in France? I don't want to cramp your style or anything."

She shuddered inwardly at the thought of not seeing him for a week. "I'm leaving Thursday morning, for a long weekend, and I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want you to come."

A big grin split his face. "Then that's great, Bones. If it's okay with your agent, of course."

She sneaked a grin. "I did kind of suggest I might be bringing someone with me."

"Oh, did you?" Booth slipped his arms round her waist, pulling her closer, until she could feel his breath on her cheek.

"Yes," she whispered, suddenly overcome by his closeness.

He lifted one hand to stroke her hair back from her face, and caressed her cheek. She held her breath, and leaned closer to him. At first his lips just touched hers gently, then she felt him increase the pressure, and found herself kissing him back, feeling his tongue tease her lips, and then suddenly they were kissing and holding onto each other as if their lives depended on it.

It was Booth who pulled away. "I'll see you Thursday, then," he said, and she saw him stand to watch her drive away before he went indoors. As she drove back to her apartment she thought back over the weekend just gone. She had started it without a clue how to care for a four year old, expecting it to be a nice relaxing break. Instead, she had spent the whole weekend running round after Parker and Booth, and she was surprised to realize just how much she had enjoyed it. Maybe having a child around was not such a bad thing. And next weekend – well, she would have Booth with her, she would be away from work, and she would have little to do other than enjoy the break. That, surely, would be a real vacation.

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_Well, that's it! I'm about to write the next part of my other story, the boy on the building site, which I'm hoping to post tonight for you. Then I'm off on a week's research trip to France for the sequel to this one (a sequel in the sense of just following the relationship as I've set it up, but a chance to change styles to put in Booth's POV sometimes - he's complaining he hasn't been able to get a word in for this story!). Okay, I'm meant to be studying as well, but the research is my main purpose for the visit!_

_I'm hoping to have internet access while I'm away, but in case I don't - have a good week, and see you when I get back! _

_Oh, and you know where the review button is, of course! _


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